Conan O’Brien Decries ‘Bullies’ While Receiving Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize 

Comedian Conan O'Brien waves to the crowd at the start of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O'Brien, Sunday, March 23, 2025, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP)
Comedian Conan O'Brien waves to the crowd at the start of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O'Brien, Sunday, March 23, 2025, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP)
TT

Conan O’Brien Decries ‘Bullies’ While Receiving Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize 

Comedian Conan O'Brien waves to the crowd at the start of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O'Brien, Sunday, March 23, 2025, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP)
Comedian Conan O'Brien waves to the crowd at the start of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O'Brien, Sunday, March 23, 2025, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP)

Conan O'Brien accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday with a not-so-subtle broadside against President Donald Trump, whose takeover of the Kennedy Center, which awarded the prize, has shaken the arts world.

A host of comedians including David Letterman, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman and Stephen Colbert celebrated O'Brien for comic greatness while ribbing the Trump administration and putting a spotlight on the renowned arts facility that is now overseen by Trump allies.

But it was O'Brien, the longtime late-night television host and comedy writer, who aimed his comments most directly at the Republican president without using his name.

"Twain hated bullies," O'Brien said. "He punched up, not down. And he deeply, deeply empathized with the weak."

O'Brien described the award's namesake as "allergic to hypocrisy" and suspicious of populism and imperialism. "He loved America but knew it was deeply flawed," O'Brien said.

Trump, who came into office in January, has spent the last two months implementing much of the populist agenda that helped him get elected last year while advocating for US annexation of Canada and Greenland, firing federal workers, and deporting migrants who were in the United States illegally.

The show was the first signature event at the Kennedy Center since Trump announced he would become chairman of the institution, pushing out billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.

Trump dismissed board members appointed by former President Joe Biden and installed officials loyal to him. He handed leadership reins for the facility to Richard Grenell, a close ally and former ambassador to Germany who is serving as envoy for special missions in Trump's current administration.

The new board, which includes White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, fired its former president, Deborah Rutter.

Trump visited the center last week and declared it in "tremendous disrepair." O'Brien thanked Rubenstein and Rutter in his remarks, drawing loud applause from the audience.

"When he accepted the Mark Twain Prize, this was a very different place," Colbert said from the Kennedy Center stage. "Today they announced two board members: Bashar al-Assad and Skeletor," Colbert quipped, referring to the former president of Syria and a cartoon villain.

COMEDY GIANT

Other comedians joked that this would be the last Mark Twain Prize awarded by the Center. John Mulaney cracked that the facility, which is seen as a memorial to slain former President John F. Kennedy, would be renamed after Roy Cohn, a political fixer known for his role in Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist scare campaigns of the 1950s, and a lawyer for Trump in his early years in business.

Along with the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, the Mark Twain Prize is one of the premier events at the renowned arts institution.

Trump did not attend the event on Sunday and did not attend any of the Honors performances during his first term.

O'Brien hosted the Oscars earlier this month and is slated to come back in the emcee role next year.

He was the host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" on NBC and "Conan" on TBS. He is a former writer for "Saturday Night Live."

"You are a genius, my friend," comedian and actor Will Ferrell said from the stage.

"You're an absolute giant in the world of comedy," said actor and comedian Tracy Morgan.

O'Brien told reporters before the show that he wanted to go through with the event to support Kennedy Center workers. "Our country has been through many different sea changes, and my thought is I will be here specifically to honor Mark Twain and the people that this award stands for," he said.

Previous winners of the Mark Twain Prize include Kevin Hart, Sandler, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Carol Burnett. Sunday's show will be available for viewing on Netflix on May 4.



Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker Chosen for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 

Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker Chosen for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 

Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)

"The Twist" singer Chubby Checker, pop star Cyndi Lauper and grunge rock band Soundgarden were among the acts chosen for induction this year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest announced the 2025 inductees during the ABC singing competition show on Sunday.

Others selected for the Rock Hall in Cleveland included English rock group Bad Company, hip-hop act Outkast, rock and blues singer Joe Cocker and garage rock duo The White Stripes.

The artists will be inducted during a ceremony that will stream live on Disney+ from Los Angeles on Nov. 8.

Inductees were chosen by fans and industry experts. Artists must have released their first recording at least 25 years ago to be eligible.

A singer and dancer, the now 83-year-old Checker was known for popularizing various dance styles including the twist and the limbo in the 1960s.

Bad Company came together in 1973 and recorded hits such as the self-titled "Bad Company".

British singer Cocker made the music charts with songs such as "You are So Beautiful" and "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes, and was known for his legendary cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" performed at Woodstock.

Lauper, 71, stood out in the 1980s during the heyday of music videos with her colorful hair and outfits and upbeat songs such as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

Soundgarden, part of the 1990s grunge rock scene in Seattle, was led by Chris Cornell, who died by suicide in 2017.

"Hey Ya!" band Outkast was formed in Atlanta by Big Boi and Andre 3000 in 1992. The White Stripes, from Detroit, led a resurgence of garage rock in the 2000s.