WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Comedian Bill Maher<\/a> will be awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor<\/a> on Sunday in what might be one of the last major onstage moments at the Kennedy Center<\/a> for the next several years.<\/p>\n The award has been presented since 1998 as a way to recognize those who have made significant contributions to humor and commentary in the United States. In announcing<\/a> the honor in March, the Kennedy Center described Maher as someone who has long influenced American comedy \u201cone politically incorrect joke at a time,\u201d a reference to the late-night show \u201cPolitically Incorrect” that he hosted for much of the 1990s and helped lift him to prominence.<\/p>\n Previous winners include Conan O\u2019Brien<\/a>, Dave Chappelle<\/a>, Julia Louis-Dreyfus<\/a>, David Letterman<\/a>, Carol Burnett<\/a> and Tina Fey<\/a>. Woody Harrelson<\/a>, Arianna Huffington and Jay Leno<\/a> are among the celebrities expected to appear at the Sunday night ceremony.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a>, who has spent much of his second term reshaping the performing arts venue, is not expected to attend.<\/p>\n The awards come at an awkward moment for the Kennedy Center, long one of the few relatively nonpartisan institutions in Washington. Shortly after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the Republican president fired<\/a> much of the center’s leadership and installed a board largely composed of allies. It named Trump as chairman and his name was added to the building’s iconic facade, prompting a legal battle that became a proxy fight over the extent of the president’s power.<\/p>\n Trump later said the Kennedy Center would close in July for a two-year renovation. But U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper upended those plans in May by ruling<\/a> that Trump’s name was illegally added to the building, ordering it removed. The judge also has blocked the closure.<\/p>\n The legal fight has turned into a saga that could be easy fodder for jokes at the Twain gala.<\/p>\n Trump’s name has come down from the building, in compliance with the judge’s order. But the part of the building once covered with letters spelling the president’s name is now shrouded in a tarp. The full closure is on hold. Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have said they are not planning<\/a> for now to build out programming.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Court\u2019s order did not affirmatively require the Board to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming,\u201d the lawyers wrote in a court filing this month.<\/p>\n Cooper has asked for an update next month on how long the tarp will remain on the building. For now, the final event scheduled for the Kennedy Center’s well-known Concert Hall is \u201cThe Freedom Gathering: A Musical Celebration\u201d on July 3.<\/p>\n Given Trump’s sway over the Kennedy Center, Maher’s selection for the award is notable because the two men have long had a fraught relationship.<\/p>\n Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Leno\u2019s \u201cThe Tonight Show,\u201d Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump\u2019s choice if Trump could prove he was not \u201cthe spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher did not pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.<\/p>\n The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came into the famed Oval Office much different than I thought he would be,\u201d Trump wrote online. \u201cHe was extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself.\u201d Trump said the comedian admitted he was \u201cscared.\u201d<\/p>\n Maher, during his April 11 episode of \u201cReal Time,\u201d<\/a> described the dinner. He said Trump was \u201cgracious and measured\u201d and not like the \u201cperson who plays a crazy person on TV.\u201d Maher said he was not scared.<\/p>\nA legal saga that could be fodder for jokes<\/h2>\n
Maher and Trump have a fraught relationship<\/h2>\n