Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2026. A Kennedy Center press release announcing the award praised Maher for “influencing American discourse – one politically incorrect joke at a time.” He is best known for hosting the long-running shows Politically Incorrect (1993–2002) and, from 2003, Real Time with Bill Maher.
The 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize was Conan O’Brien. He got his start in show business as a writer on shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons and later became widely known as the host of the late-night talk shows Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1993–2009) and The Tonight Show (2009–10).