President Donald J. Trump neither gifted Bill Maher his Mark Twain Prize nor did he manage to take it away from the longtime late-night TV host. Trump didn’t show up in person to distract from the proceedings at the Kennedy Center (although celebrity impersonator Matt Friend did “interrupt” Maher’s acceptance speech with his Trump impression). Perhaps there have been odder years for this ceremony, meant to showcase the most prestigious award an American comedian can receive. But none of these honors have stood out quite like this for existing in the mainstream of Netflix while somehow lacking in the usual plaudits and prestige that comes with it. A real middle-finger salute.

The Gist: 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, colloquially known as Mark Twain. As a social commentator, satirist, and creator of characters, Clemens was a fearless observer of society who delighted and informed onlookers with his uncompromising perspective on society and personal folly.

Last year’s prize went to Conan O’Brien and its corresponding televised ceremony for Netflix won last year’s Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). 2014 Mark Twain Prize winner Jay Leno presented Maher with his statue. Other presenters included Whitney Cummings, Louis C.K., Arianna Huffington, Stephen A. Smith, and Woody Harrelson, with John Mellencamp performing “Pink Houses” and “Authority Song” to close out the ceremony.

So why Maher? He has presided over late-night talk for 33 years now, the first nine with Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and then ABC; since 2003 on HBO with Real Time with Bill Maher. His work on those shows, plus his 13 HBO stand-up specials, have earned him more than 40 Emmy nominations, with his lone win thus far coming for executive producing HBO’s Vice series. Maher also has a couple of Grammy nominations and multiple best-selling books to his credit. And since 2022, he’s also hosted his own video podcast, “Club Random,” where as the presenters joked, he often gets stoned with them during their conversations.

What Comedy Special Will It Remind You Of? Netflix has carried the Mark Twain Prize ceremony for the past few years, and of those, this feels most similar to the Kevin Hart year, with as much commentary suggesting everyone’s in on the irony of making this tribute now. Even if they’re not intending to come off that way.

Our Take: Usually at this ceremony, we get to see a mix of famous people who have worked with the award winner, or who have become famous thanks to the award-winner inspiring them in their own youth, or famous peers acknowledging the award-winner’s place among the best of the best.

That’s not what we’ve got here. Instead, Woody Harrelson shows up to remind us he and Maher were ahead of their times in stumping for legalization of marijuana, so much that they’re now in cahoots on a weed dispensary. Stephen A. Smith is here to remind us that delivering a constant, steady stream of hot takes, no matter how correct they are so long as the takes remain hot, can lead to a wealthy, lengthy career. Arianna Huffington reminds us that they kinda made each other more famous and wealthy, although does the Huffington name mean anything at all to Gen Alpha?

As for the comedians, the commonality they share is that Whitney Cummings, Louis C.K., and Jay Leno all at one point were considered at the top of the comedy food chain, even if doing so either left them with few friends to stop them from facing various methods of comeuppance that has made each of them less adored now.

So it may not shock anyone to learn that Cummings gets the Kennedy Center to break out into both applause and laughs by suggesting that Maher’s arc into political comedy made as much as sense as becoming a sportscaster who only covers the Washington Commanders, except Maher would still call the football team the Redskins. Cummings later claimed: “I have news for Bill Maher’s critics. Comedians see backlash as a sign that we’re probably doing something right.” 

And yet the vibe feels slightly off for most of the production. They cannot seem to find crisp-looking video clips of Maher’s own specials from the 1990s. The camera keeps cutting to Maher not so he can laugh but so he can add short retorts. Jerry Seinfeld pops with with a brief video message from Las Vegas, where he was performing, with Seinfeld’s audience applauding on command.

Plenty of times presenters point out either the irony of Maher losing his Politically Incorrect show for being politically incorrect, or for the notion that Maher supposedly doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him, despite him clearly desiring the validation of a major award like this. As Harrelson cracked while pointing out two different HBO billboards touting Maher’s show: “Dude, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t bitch about not being liked for what you say, and then run a billboard where you’re bragging about it, twice!” 

For his part, Maher’s late-night longevity counts for something in the arc of comedy legacy. And when he looks for someone to model himself after, he cited not another comic from an earlier generation, but rather Toto the dog from The Wizard of Oz, for pulling back the curtain to reveal the phonies. That might register more for a younger version of Maher than the guy who’s still standing before us now.

And yet, as he said in his acceptance speech, Maher doesn’t intend for this prize to be his lifetime achievement award, signaling an end to his career.  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I would like to thank the haters” for preventing him from believing his own press or ever becoming complacent. “You have helped me more than you could know.”

Our Call: If you’re a fan of Maher, then obviously, STREAM IT. If he’s not to your liking, it’s easy to SKIP IT, and yet, it’s almost more fascinating to watch this ceremony as an artifact of the times and not just as a simple hate-watch.

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat. He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.