Bill Maher is set to receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, with the ceremony scheduled for June 28, 2026. But no story involving late-night television and President Donald Trump would be complete without some level of controversy.
The honor will be presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, specifically in the recently renamed “Trump Kennedy Center Concert Hall.” The ceremony is also slated to stream exclusively on Netflix, as it did last year, with a premiere date to be announced.
The announcement comes after a brief wave of confusion. On March 20, The Atlantic first reported that Maher would be this year’s recipient. However, the claim was quickly disputed by members of the Trump administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report as “fake news,” insisting Maher would not receive the award, while communications director Steven Cheung echoed the sentiment on X, calling the report “literally FAKE NEWS.”
But it seems as if the White House just wanted to keep the announcement underwraps for a few days, or perhaps it still needed to be approved. In any case, it's now official that Bill Maher will receive the award.
The choice is a surprising one given Maher’s long and often critical relationship with President Donald Trump, who currently holds influence over the Kennedy Center. Maher has been one of Trump’s most consistent critics over the years, frequently targeting him on Real Time with Bill Maher. The late-night host often credits himself for predicting that President Trump would not give up power in 2020 without a fight. At the same time, Real Time has hosted more of Trump's supporters and allies than any other late-night show currently on the air.
And despite the late-night TV criticism, the two had dinner at the White House in March 2025, where Maher offered a surprising take, describing Trump as “gracious and measured” and “not fake.” But the friendly vibes didn’t last. Just last month, Trump took to social media to blast Maher as a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT,” adding that inviting him to the White House had been “a total waste of time.”
Maher appeared at the 2008 ceremony that honored legendary comedian George Carlin. Maher now joins an elite group of comedians recognized with the Mark Twain Prize. Late-night television has been particularly well represented among past recipients, including Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, and Jay Leno.