Comedians will celebrate Conan O’Brien at the Kennedy Center on Sunday. Will they take on Trump?

The show celebrating the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor — the most coveted award in comedy — is all about comedians loving on other comedians. Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to Julia Louis-Dreyfus when she won. Chris Rock lovingly embarrassed Kevin Hart. And when Adam Sandler was honored, his friend — and this year’s recipient — Conan O’Brien declared, “Good god in heaven, Kennedy Center, what have you done? No award has screwed up this badly since a MacArthur Genius Award was given to Vin Diesel.” (For the record, Diesel has not actually won a MacArthur Fellowship.)

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where the annual event takes place, has been in upheaval. President Trump rid the Kennedy Center’s board of its Democratic appointees. He ousted both board chair David Rubenstein and president Deborah Rutter and then became chair himself. In response, artists have canceled gigs.

Comedians, clowns and fools have always poked fun at the powerful. So will Trump’s conquest be fodder for jokes at this year’s Mark Twain Prize?

If the past is prologue, it could happen.

When Jon Stewart accepted his award in 2022, he talked about the rise in authoritarianism around the world.

Stewart said that authoritarians threaten comedy and other artforms and that democracy is “fragile and precious — and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think. It’s to change how leaders lead.”

When Dave Chappelle received his award in 2019, he talked about how standup is a uniquely American genre, partly because of the First Amendment.

In 2017, David Letterman ended his acceptance speech with a quote from Mark Twain: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

The Mark Twain Prize is taping on Sunday, but won’t be streamed on Netflix until a future, undisclosed date. In the meantime, the Kennedy Center is keeping the cast of Conan O’Brien’s Twain Prize a secret. Yet, the event has long been a bellwether for where comedy is on any given year. Will the comedians performing come out and address the moment? Or will they keep the focus squarely on O’Brien’s career? Either way, Washington could use a laugh right now.

Jennifer Vanasco edited the digital story.

 

Can’t-miss interviews: Martha Stewart, Japanese Breakfast and an astronaut

Rounding up the big interviews you might have missed, from gardening tips with Martha Stewart to a conversation with a former astronaut about what happens to our bodies after that much time in space.

Bernie Sanders is drawing record crowds as he pushes Democrats to ‘fight oligarchy’

The populist message of Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour has resonated with voters frustrated by President Trump's agenda — and the Democratic Party's muddled response.

For the first time, Alabama says methane ‘likely’ caused fatal home explosion above coal mine

State officials have ordered tighter monitoring of methane gas above coal mines in the state after a slap on the wrist from federal officials. Will it be enough to mitigate the risks?

Flights resume at London Heathrow after a daylong closure sparked travel chaos

Heathrow Airport said it was "fully operational" on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire. But airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days.

Some European countries and Canada issue advisories for travelers to the U.S.

The advisories come after some citizens from European countries and Canada have been detained and deported by immigration officials while traveling to the United States.

Court hearing centers on Newsmax CEO’s role in spreading election-fraud claims

Newsmax is being sued for defamation by Dominion Voting Systems — the same company that sued Fox News over false 2020 election-fraud claims and walked away with a nearly $800 million settlement.

More Front Page Coverage