Video: Jon Stewart is presented with the 23rd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Watch the 23rd yearly Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor event celebrating Jon Stewart.
Jon Stewart received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on April 24 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The gala celebration is currently available for streaming on the ALL ARTS site and app. As the host and executive producer of “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” for 16 years, the comedian was recognized with this esteemed accolade earlier in the year.
[Video: Steam “Jon Stewart: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize.”]
In addition to his tenure at the helm of “The Daily Show,” Stewart was recognized for his advocacy on behalf of wounded veterans and first responders of 9/11 in the United States.
Bassem Youssef, Bruce Springsteen, John Oliver, Olivia Munn, Jon Meacham, Jimmy Kimmel, Ed Helms, Pete Davidson, Stephen Colbert, Gary Clark, Jr., Dave Chappelle, Steve Carell, and Samantha Bee were among the individuals who commemorated Stewart and his professional journey.
Comedians are the ones who send away the first reminder that democracy is under threat. They progress to poetry, thought, music, art, and comedy, threatening the authoritarians. In 2019, since the first ceremony held to be a bellwether, Stewart said, “We’re peeling the banana in the coal mine, but comedy doesn’t change the world.” It’s just a reminder that under the threat of society, comedy acts as a threat.
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The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, as stated on the Kennedy Center website, honors individuals who have influenced American society in manners resembling the renowned 19th-century writer and humorist Samuel Clemens, famously known as Mark Twain. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Carol Burnett, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others.
Watch the complete ceremony above or on the ALL ARTS website and application.