:root {--color-black:#000000;--color-blue:#0066CC;--color-darkGrey:#26323E;--color-grey:#474747;--color-lightGrey:#c4c4c4;--color-primary:#F16957;--color-secondary:#692ED1;--color-white:#FFFFFF;--font-family-big:freight-text-pro;--font-weight-big:500;--font-size-big-lg:16px;--font-size-big-md:16px;--font-size-big-sm:16px;--font-family-bigger:soleil;--font-weight-bigger:700;--font-size-bigger-lg:16px;--font-size-bigger-md:16px;--font-size-bigger-sm:16px;--font-family-gigantic:soleil;--font-weight-gigantic:600;--font-size-gigantic-lg:42px;--font-size-gigantic-md:32px;--font-size-gigantic-sm:28px;--font-family-huge:acier-bat-solid;--font-weight-huge:400;--font-size-huge-lg:28px;--font-size-huge-md:24px;--font-size-huge-sm:20px;--font-family-large:soleil;--font-weight-large:600;--font-size-large-lg:20px;--font-size-large-md:18px;--font-size-large-sm:16px;--font-family-normal:freight-text-pro;--font-weight-normal:400;--font-size-normal-lg:20px;--font-size-normal-md:18px;--font-size-normal-sm:16px;--font-family-tiny:soleil;--font-weight-tiny:700;--font-size-tiny-lg:12px;--font-size-tiny-md:12px;--font-size-tiny-sm:12px;}:root{view-transition-name:none}ENTERTAINMENTHISTORYLISTSLIVE SMARTERQUIZZESSCIENCEShare on XENTERTAINMENTHISTORYLISTSLIVE SMARTERQUIZZESSCIENCEShare on XAll 25 Recipients of the Mark Twain Prize for American HumorThe honor is handed out annually in the comedy capital of the world: Washington, D.C.By|Copy ArticleDavid Letterman receives the 2017 Mark Twain Prize. | Paul Morigi/GettyImagesCopy ArticleEach year, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts awards the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an acknowledgment of a storied career crafting comedy. In March 2024, stand-up comic and actor Kevin Hart will the 25th recipient of the honor, which has been dispensed in Washington, D.C., since 1998. was, of course, a venerable observer of the human condition, and his wit became celebrated for its insight. Prize winners receive a bronze portrait bust of the author and join some very good company. Here’s who else has received the award, which has been bestowed continuously with the exception of the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. (1998)Jonathan Winters (1999)Carl Reiner (2000)Whoopi Goldberg (2001) (2002)Lily Tomlin (2003)Lorne Michaels (2004) (2005)Neil Simon (2006)Billy Crystal (2007) (2008)Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018) (2010)Will Ferrell (2011)Ellen DeGeneres (2012) (2013)Jay Leno (2014) (2015)Bill Murray (2016)David Letterman (2017)Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018) (2019) (2022)Adam Sandler (2023)Kevin Hart (2024), who became the first-ever honoree in 1998, had a long and eclectic career as a stand-up and actor. “I feel great about accepting this prize,” he at the ceremony that year. “It is nice to be regarded on par with a great white man—now that’s funny! Seriously, though, two things people throughout history have had in common are hatred and humor. I am proud that, like Mark Twain, I have been able to use humor to lessen people’s hatred.”Seven of the 25 winners have been cast members on . Another, Lorne Michaels, created the series.Not everyone chosen for acknowledgment has consented to it. Ceremony co-founder Cappy McGarr WTOP in 2021 that has turned down the award three times. He also mentioned potential inductees in the future:,, and Chris Rock.Related Tags/Cookie Settings© 2025 - All Rights Reserved, The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an American award presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. annually since 1998 (except 2020–2021)., The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain..