Picture: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Conan O’Brien obtained what many joked was the final Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night time. He was feted by such comedians as David Letterman, Sarah Silverman, and John Mulaney. “Welcome to the Kennedy Heart,” Mulaney stated, “or as it will likely be recognized subsequent week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for large sturdy males.” That joke, and extra, will air on Netflix later this 12 months.
Till the night time of, it was unclear who could be performing on the embattled Kennedy Heart to honor O’Brien. Trump did a hostile takeover of the performing arts middle, and plenty of celebs canceled their exhibits in response. But extra exhibits have been canceled by the brand new admin for being too woke. Not Cats, although. By no means Cats.
Talking of woke, O’Brien famous in his acceptance speech that Mark Twain held traits many would classify with that phrase these days. “Twain was allergic to hypocrisy and he loathed racism,” he stated. “Twain was suspicious of populism, jingoism, imperialism, the cash extra of the Gilded Age and any expression of senseless American may or self-importance. Above all, Twain was a patriot in the very best sense of the phrase. He beloved America however knew it was deeply flawed. Twain wrote, ‘Patriotism is supporting your nation on a regular basis, and your authorities when it deserves it.”
O’Brien thanked former Kennedy Heart chairmen David Rubenstein and president Deborah Rutter, who have been fired by the president this 12 months. “Truthfully, I don’t know why they don’t seem to be right here tonight. I misplaced Wifi in January,” he stated. O’Brien then thanked the Kennedy Heart employees, “for years, and who’re apprehensive about what the long run may deliver. My everlasting thanks for his or her selfless devotion to the humanities.”