Comedian and talk show host Bill Maher will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Trump Kennedy Center later this year, it was announced Thursday — days after White House officials denied that would be the case.
The 70-year-old host of HBO’s “Real Time” will receive the award June 28 at a gala ceremony that will be streamed on Netflix.
The Atlantic initially reported last week that Maher had been chosen for the Mark Twain Prize — whose past recipients include Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien — only for the Trump administration to push back strongly.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed, “This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award,” while communications director Steven Cheung posted on X that the Atlantic report was “literally FAKE NEWS.”
“Anonymous sources with half-baked information leaked to The Atlantic before conversations were finalized,” a source with knowledge of the matter claimed to The Post Thursday. “There was nothing to confirm at the time and it is not appropriate to get ahead of any settled agreement between multiple parties involved.”
President Trump is not expected to attend the gala honoring Maher, a staunch liberal who has also criticized the far left of the Democratic Party.
“Sitting presidents have not historically participated in the Mark Twain Prize ceremony, and President Trump will follow that same precedent this year,” said a source close to the center.
“The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is historically a non-partisan award recognizing individuals whose comedy has had an impact on American society and culture. The selection of Bill Maher as this year’s recipient speaks to the Center’s bipartisan approach to entertainment across the performing arts, including comedy.”
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