Conan O’Brien Wants Us to Be More Like Mark Twain

ABLUpdated 4 weeks Ago1 Mins read10

Conan O’Brien received what many joked was the last Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night. He was feted by such comedians as David Letterman, Sarah Silverman, and John Mulaney. “Welcome to the Kennedy Center,” Mulaney said, “or as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for big strong men.” That joke, and more, will air on Netflix later this year.

Until the night of, it was unclear who would be performing at the embattled Kennedy Center to honor O’Brien. Trump did a hostile takeover of the performing arts center, and many celebs canceled their shows in response. Yet more shows were canceled by the new admin for being too woke. Not Cats, though. Never Cats.

Speaking of woke, O’Brien noted in his acceptance speech that Mark Twain held characteristics many would classify with that word nowadays. “Twain was allergic to hypocrisy and he loathed racism,” he said. “Twain was suspicious of populism, jingoism, imperialism, the money excess of the Gilded Age and any expression of mindless American might or self-importance. Above all, Twain was a patriot in the best sense of the word. He loved America but knew it was deeply flawed. Twain wrote, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

O’Brien thanked former Kennedy Center chairmen David Rubenstein and president Deborah Rutter, who were fired by the president this year. “Honestly, I don’t know why they are not here tonight. I lost Wifi in January,” he said. O’Brien then thanked the Kennedy Center staff, “for years, and who are worried about what the future might bring. My eternal thanks for their selfless devotion to the arts.”