Though he wasn’t in attendance, the current president was heavily referenced during the prestigious comedy event.

Trump looms over Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony: Best and worst moments

Though he wasn't in attendance, the current president was heavily referenced during the prestigious comedy event.

By Andy Hoglund

Andy Hoglund

Andy Hoglund is a writer at **. He has worked at EW since 2019.

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June 29, 2026 5:33 p.m. ET

Bill Maher accepts his Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. Credit:

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

The annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor typically marks one of comedy's biggest nights of the year. But the mood at the 2026 ceremony, which honored Bill Maher on Sunday night in Washington, D.C., was slightly different given some of the ongoing controversy around the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This year's selection of the *Real Time** *host felt notable as the nation heads into its 250th anniversary, making him, one of America's most outspoken and polarizing comic voices, an especially intriguing choice to receive a prize named for Mark Twain, a provocateur who built his legacy on satire and skewering hypocrisy.

Unlike recent Mark Twain ceremonies, which have felt sprawling, theatrical, and emotional, Maher's night was surprisingly subdued. The 2025 ceremony honoring Conan O’Brien built toward an ambitious finale; this one moved briskly, with less spectacle and little sentimentality.

Part of that reflects Maher himself: a standup and political commentator, not a sketch comedy icon or universally beloved pop culture figure. Donald Trump's recent machinations loomed large. That tension was only deepened given Maher's relationship with the president from years of criticism to their recent now infamous dinner.

The result was a strange, relatively restrained ceremony with an open question as to who might get to control future ceremonies. Here are the best and worst moments from Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony, which you can watch when it premieres July 21 on Netflix.

BEST SET: Whitney Cummings roasts Maher

Whitney Cummings roasts Bill Maher at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Whitney Cummings delivered one of the sharpest sets of the night. She kicked things off by noting it takes a very specific kind of comedian to make politics their lane, comparing it to a doctor specializing in colorectal issues — or "assholes." She also likened it to being a sports commentator who only covers the Washington Commanders… or, as Maher apparently still calls them, the Redskins.

Cummings — who referred to Maher as "our stern stepdad — also joked Maher has never married because for 40 years he's been in a "very committed, very toxic relationship with the United States," noting "he's a warrior for free speech — especially when someone is mid-sentence."

BEST TRUMP REFERENCE: Whitney’s “White Hamilton” joke

Donald Trump at the Washington Hilton on June 26, 2026; Whitney Cummings arrives at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty; NETFLIX

After noting with some shock that Trump is now chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Cummings cracked that audiences should enjoy the upcoming "three-month run of *White Hamilton*."

She followed that up with another killer line: Trump wanted to attend the Mark Twain Prize ceremony but "got caught in sex traffic," adding she was told not to say that… which, she noted, is exactly why comedy still matters.

STARKEST MOMENT: Maher’s montage falls flat

Bill Maher performs on 'The Tonight Show' in 1991.

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Gett

A montage of Maher's standup and early TV appearances followed. Typically, whether it's a reel of movie star moments from Adam Sandler or Kevin Hart, or even talk show moments from last year's winner Conan O'Brien, montages are easy ways to credential the night's comedy bona fides and rev up the crowd. However, Maher’s early work is almost entirely devoid of crowd pleasers; it's literally why he pivoted into political commentary. So, this landed a bit quiet and felt like the first energy dip of the evening. Maher is more prickly and cerebral, which doesn't carry over as well.

MOST HEARTFELT MOMENT: Louis C.K. gets personal

Louis C.K. performs at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in November 2025.

Michael Loccisano/Getty

While paying tribute to Maher, Louis C.K. delivered the most personal remarks of the evening. Bill, he said, is rare among comedians because he genuinely doesn't care what people think of him.

Referencing his own scandal ("when my career took a downturn, depending on how you look at it"), Louie said Maher reached out and "threw me a rope," inviting him on the show. He described Maher as biting, funny, gutsy, "allergic to bulls----," but fundamentally decent. Above all, he added, Maher is "very f---ing funny."

BEST CHEEKY SELF-PROMOTION DISGUISED AS TRIBUTE: Woody Harrelson plugs cannabis lounge

Woody Harrelson attends the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony honoring Bill Maher.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Woody Harrelson opened with a strong energy, joking about Trump's name now figuratively and almost literally looming over the building.

He said he's known Bill a long time… or "since he was funny." He also plugged their West Hollywood dispensary, the Woods, insisted he wasn't there to self-promote, then promptly promoted his upcoming Apple show *Brothers* with Matthew McConaughey.

After claiming he couldn't remember any good Maher one-liners, he eventually yielded and shared several punchlines/bits of political wisdom.

MOST SURPRISING SPEAKER: Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith speaks at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor honoring Bill Maher.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Stephen A. Smith brought fun, sincere energy and arguably exceeded expectations.

The ESPN host praised Maher for keeping it real and noted his "greatest gift is his courage." He compared Maher to the Paul Anka song "My Way," because he's someone who refuses to conform. He puts ideas "in the water" — he's not mainstream; he's upstream. Maher's the lead dog… "and the lead dog gets his ass bit."

Good analyst that he is, the ESPN host also offered useful context for the audience: Maher isn't an investigative journalist, he's a commentator — and proudly so.

MOST RANDOM CAMEO: Jerry Seinfeld’s video tribute

Jerry Seinfeld visits 'The Sebastian Maniscalco Show' at SiriusXM's offices in Los Angeles.

Emma McIntyre/Getty

Including the legendary Jerry Seinfeld in a quick video salute made sense given their long history as comedians. But voiceover narration in a separate segment from Katie Couric? Felt like a paid gig and less organic tribute from a peer.**

BEST HISTORIC FRAMING: Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington on stage at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony honoring Bill Maher.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

When Arianna Huffington took the stage, she recalled appearing on *Politically Incorrect* in 1993, which marked the beginning of her "long and deep friendship" with Maher. She revisited the fallout from Maher’s post-9/11 comments, calling it a "manufactured scandal." A savvy point, since Maher got canceled before cancellation was even a thing! Her insights into Maher being a longstanding atheist were a good link back to Twain. Her closing line summed up the evening perfectly: “Mark Twain would have loved you.” It was the best case for why he was selected as this year’s recipient.

BEST ‘90S CALL BACK: Old Politically Incorrect clips

Bill Maher, Aisha Tyler, Hugh Hefner, and Carson Daly on 'Politically Incorrect'.

Mitchell Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Speaking of *Politically Incorrect*, the archival clips from Maher's late-night talk show were a reminder of how chaotic and genuinely dangerous political TV once felt… raw, confrontational, and occasionally inappropriate.

WORST ‘90S CALLBACK: Jay Leno’s monologue

Jay Leno speaks at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony honoring Bill Maher.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Jay Leno called Maher the second "Big Beautiful Bill" in Washington, but his set felt like classic '90s *Tonight Show* Leno… and not in a good way. Tired monologue jokes about JD Vance and Bad Bunny drew relatively low-energy reactions.

Still, he made some good points: canceling the host of *Politically Incorrect* for being politically incorrect is like getting mad at a *Naked and Afraid* contestant for being naked and afraid.

WORST TRUMP REFERENCE: Matt Friend’s middling impression

Matt Friend and Bill Maher on stage at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Before Maher began his acceptance speech, impressionist Matt Friend interrupted as Trump, calling Maher a "lightweight jerk." At last year's ceremony, Will Forte donned full makeup to embody a surreal take on Mark Twain. Here? Standard Trumpisms, but far less grotesque than what James Austin Johnson usually does on *Saturday Night Live*.

There *were* a few laughs , especially when he claimed he personally knew the real Mark Twain, only to reveal a photo of John Bolton. But unlike last year's more committed bits, the impression felt less than hilarious.

BEST: Maher’s on-brand acceptance speech

Bill Maher accepts the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

Maher delivered some of the strongest material of the night once he took the stage.

His best point came on censorship— when Twain wrote *Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*, conservatives wanted to ban it for racism; now liberals want to ban it for its language.

He surmised it is "a good sign you're doing something right is when eventually everyone hates you."

Maher said he's most proud of two things: staying on air for 33 years and maintaining clarity about who he is. He wants to be a hero to his audience, not a savior.

As for his role model? It isn't George Carlin or Richard Pryor. It's Toto the dog from *The Wizard of Oz*, the one who pulls back the curtain. Slightly pompous, but very on brand for Maher.

BEST BOOMER MUSICAL CATNIP ALONSIDE A DEEP CUT: John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp performs at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony honoring Bill Maher.

Clifton Prescod/NETFLIX

When John Mellencamp took the stage, he joked, "If I don't play your favorite song, blame Bill, he picked the songs."

The rocker opened with the ubiquitous classic rock radio jam "Pink Houses" and closed with the deeper cut "Authority Song." It was a strong, efficient ending to a relatively tight ceremony… probably around 90 minutes once trimmed for broadcast.

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