Bill Maher On Getting The Mark Twain Prize For Humor: 'like An Emmy, Except I Win'

It’s for illustration that clip Pinocchio became a existent boy: News that was branded “fake” past week is existent today, per nan Kennedy Center, and Bill Maher will so beryllium nan 27th personification to person nan Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The White House powerfully dissed nan Atlantic’s reporting (followed by unreporting) past week that Maher was nan adjacent successful statement for nan 2026 prize that Conan O’Brien sewage past twelvemonth and Kevin Hart picked up nan twelvemonth earlier that. The Twain grant has been bestowed connected comics almost annually since 1998 by nan Kennedy Center, a “tired, broken, and dilapidated” building that President Trump slapped his ain sanction connected successful December and plans to adjacent for 2 years’ worthy of renovations starting July 4 — hence nan consequence from White House flacks.

“Literally FAKE NEWS,” said Steven Cheung, White House head of communications, connected his charismatic X account reacting Friday to nan Atlantic story. Karoline Leavitt, White House property secretary, said successful a connection to nan publication, “This is clone news. Bill Maher will NOT beryllium getting this award.”

But People reported Thursday that though nan Atlantic’s news was deemed “fake” astatine nan time, according to connection from a White House official, nan business had “evolved” successful nan six days since then.

You opportunity tomato, I opportunity to-mah-to? At immoderate rate, Bill’s getting nan Twain, fixed antecedently to comedic luminaries including Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and Dave Chappelle.

Maher had nary consequence connected societal media, possibly reserving his guidance for nan upcoming “Real Time With Bill Maher” section owed retired Friday connected HBO aliases his adjacent “Club Random” podcast. But he did rumor a dryly amusing connection Thursday successful a Kennedy Center news release, saying, “Thank you to nan Mark Twain people: I conscionable had nan grant explained to me, and apparently it’s for illustration an Emmy, isolated from I win.”

(Maher’s show has been nominated for Emmy Awards 22 times, from 2004 done 2024, including 13 nods for assortment bid and nan remainder for writing, directing and individual performance. It has won precisely zero of those times. Even Susan Lucci only had to hold done 18 Daytime Emmy nominations earlier she yet won connected nan 19th — and proceeded to suffer retired connected 2 more.)

The comic’s connection continued: “I’d conscionable for illustration to opportunity that it is so humbling to get thing named for a man who’s been thrown retired of arsenic galore schoolhouse libraries arsenic Mark Twain.”

“For astir 3 decades, nan Mark Twain Prize has celebrated immoderate of nan top minds successful comedy,” Roma Daravi, vice president of nationalist relations for nan Kennedy Center, said successful a connection of her own. “For moreover longer, Bill has been influencing American sermon — 1 politically incorrect joke astatine a time.”

Maher, a self-described wide who has nary emotion for nan Republican Party, recovered himself successful strange-new-respect territory among conservatives successful caller years aft he started slamming far-left ideology arsenic ruthlessly arsenic he slammed nan acold right. Then past outpouring he accepted an invitation for meal pinch Trump astatine nan White House, and galore heads exploded.

“OK, arsenic you know, 12 days ago, I had meal pinch President Trump, a meal that was group up by my friend Kid Rock because we stock a belief that there’s sewage to beryllium thing amended than hurling insults from 3,000 miles away,” said Maher, who lives connected nan West Coast, connected nan April 11, 2025, episode of “Real Time.”

“And fto maine first opportunity that to each nan group who treated this for illustration it was immoderate benignant of acme meeting, you’re ridiculous. Like I was going to motion a pact aliases something. I person — I person nary power. I’m a f— comedian, and he’s nan astir powerful leader successful nan world. I’m not nan leader of thing isolated from possibly a contingent of centrist-minded group who deliberation there’s sewage to beryllium a amended measurement of moving this state than hating each different each minute.”

Maher said he brought pinch him to nan meal a database of almost 5 twelve epithets nan president had hurled his measurement complete nan years, intending to inquire Trump to motion it for him. Which nan president did. And aft sharing immoderate anecdotes from nan visit, including immoderate snappy retorts, Maher told his assemblage that Trump was “much much self-aware than he lets connected successful public.”

“I ne'er felt I had to locomotion connected eggshells astir him. And honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would ne'er consciousness comfortable talking to them nan measurement I was capable to talk pinch Donald Trump. That’s conscionable really it went down. Make of it what you will.”

The Mark Twain Prize will beryllium fixed to Maher astatine a gala group for June 28, pinch Netflix streaming nan arena astatine a later date, yet to beryllium determined.