Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an annual award recognizing individuals who embody the humor and social insights characteristic of the iconic American writer Mark Twain, also known as Samuel L. Clemens. Established in 1998, the award honors those who have made significant contributions to American comedy across various platforms, including film, television, and stand-up comedy. The ceremony is held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where the recipient receives a bronze bust of Twain and enjoys tributes from peers alongside an acceptance speech that often blends humor with personal narratives.
The award has celebrated notable figures like Richard Pryor, the first honoree, and others such as Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, and Adam Sandler. While the award aims to recognize living comedians, there have been exceptions, such as George Carlin, who was honored posthumously. The selection process for recipients involves considerations of their comedic influence and audience engagement, with candidates nominated by Kennedy Center trustees and programming staff. Notably, the award has seen some controversy, as in the case of Bill Cosby, whose award was rescinded following his conviction for sexual assault. Overall, the Mark Twain Prize serves as a tribute to the enduring legacy of humor in American culture.
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Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an annually presented award given to a person judged to embody the famous nineteenth-century American writer’s sense of humor and ideas about society. Mark Twain was a novelist and essayist who was known for his keen observations of society, social commentary, characterizations, satire, and wit. The award honors artists who have made a significant contribution to the culture of American comedy and have included many actors famous for their comedic roles, but also a writer, producer, and a stand-up comedian have been included as honorees for their contributions to the legacy of American humor.
Background
The idea of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor dates to 1997 when the playwright, lyricist, and broadcaster Murray Horowitz introduced the idea of an award for comedy to entertainment firm partners John Schreiber and Mark Krantz. They like the idea of the award and accompanying show and agreed to support it. Originally, organizers decided to use the White House as the venue, but later decided that would be impractical. They chose instead the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., which had hosted other awards shows.
Once the concept took shape, Bob and Peter Kaminsky and Cappy McGarr joined the team as co-creators of the show. The broadcaster Comedy Central was also brought on board to coproduce and broadcast the first performance. The award was given its name and relationship to Mark Twain, which was the pen name of Samuel L. Clemens, who lived from 1835 to 1910.
Clemens became a printer’s apprentice at a newspaper at a young age. This planted in him a love of writing and journalism. In addition, he had brief careers as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi and a silver prospector, which also would influence his fictional writings. In 1865, he published the short story “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.” He continued to have success as a journalist and travel writer, as well as a lecturer and stage performer. After marrying and moving to Hartford, Connecticut, Twain published some of his most famous novels, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in 1889, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884. Clemens was not shy about voicing his opinions, supporting civil rights, and intertwining humor with social criticism.
The creators of the Mark Twain humor award felt that since Twain was an iconic American comedian who readily provided his observations on society and promoted social causes through his work, he aptly personified the spirit of American humor. Therefore, the recipients of their award would be honored for similarly showing influence on the culture of comedy in the United States.
The first recipient of the award was comedian Richard Pryor in 1998 and he was honored by several fellow comedians. The show was taped and aired on Comedy Central, but in subsequent years, the show was aired on PBS instead. Recipients have been awarded each year since, except for in 2020 and 2021 when there was no show produced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the show resumed the following year, in 2022.
Overview
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is awarded at the Kennedy Center each year during an evening ceremony where the recipient is presented with a bronze copy of a bust of Twain, which was sculpted by Karl Gerhardt in 1884. The recipient is then honored with presentations by their peers, either live or via pre-taped videos, and the recipient gives an acceptance speech. The acceptance speech provides the recipient an opportunity to show off their sense of humor. Usually, these performances are both poignant and humorous as the recipients describe their life journeys.
The award is intended to be presented to a living person who can receive the award in person and provide an entertaining acceptance speech, but in one case this was not possible. In 2008, George Carlin was chosen as the year’s recipient but died five days after the official press release. So, for Carlin, the award was presented posthumously, but all other award winners have attended the ceremony.
Some comedians nominated have refused the award for various reasons, including Bill Cosby, Mel Brooks, and Robin Williams. Cosby, who initially objected to the award because the first show honoring Richard Pryor included profanity, did eventually decide to accept the 2009 award. However, Cosby was later stripped of his award in 2018 after he was convicted of sexual assault, and he remains the only recipient whose award has been rescinded.
Since 2023, eighteen men and six women have been honored with the award. These include Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Neil Simon, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Bill Cosby (later rescinded), Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Carol Burnett, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, David Letterman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Adam Sandler. The youngest recipient was Tina Fey in 2010 at age forty, and the oldest recipient was Carol Burnett in 2013 at age eighty.
Not much is made public about the actual selection process or criteria of candidates for the award. The executive producers have explained that they provide a list of prospective candidates to a group of Kennedy Center board trustees, as well as senior programming staff and management. A consensus is then reached by the group based on the candidate’s influence and ability to make their audience laugh. The candidate is contacted and asked if they would be willing to accept the award. If they agree, the show staff then begins planning the award ceremony.
Bibliography
Farhi, Paul. “How the Kennedy Center Chooses Twain Prize Winners.” Washington Post, 21 May 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-kennedy-center-chooses-twain-prize-winners/2013/05/21/f374c7fc-c0b5-11e2-ab60-67bba7be7813‗story.html. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
Fraley, Jason. “Mark Twain Prize Creator Recalls Bringing Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray to White House.” WTOP News, 28 Sept. 2021, wtop.com/entertainment/2021/09/mark-twain-prize-creator-pens-behind-the-scenes-book-on-eddie-murphy-bill-murray/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
Hautzinger, Daniel. “America's Funniest People: The Mark Twain Prize.” WTTW, 7 Jan. 2020, interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/01/07/dave-chappelle-mark-twain-prize. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
Layne, McAvoy. “The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.” Sierra Sun,22 Mar. 2023. www.sierrasun.com/opinion/pine-nuts-the-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
“Mark Twain: A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835–1910.” Mark Twain House, 2023, marktwainhouse.org/about/mark-twain/biography/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
“Mark Twain Prize Awarded to Adam Sandler.” The Kennedy Center,2023, www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/marktwain/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.