WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Bill Maher will win the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center said Thursday, less than a week after the White House forcefully denied that the comedian, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with President , would win it.
鈥淔or nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy,鈥� Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement. 鈥淔or even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse 鈥� one politically incorrect joke at a time.鈥�
Maher said in a statement that he 鈥渏ust had the award explained to me, and apparently it鈥檚 like an Emmy, except I win.鈥�
After The Atlantic reported last week that Maher would win the award, the White House pushed back hard. White House communications director Steven Cheung said on social media that the story was 鈥渓iterally FAKE NEWS.鈥� White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also called the initial report 鈥渇ake news鈥� and said Maher 鈥渨ill NOT be getting this award.鈥�
An administration official who refused to speak on the record about the award on Thursday said the situation changed after further conversations between the Kennedy Center and event organizers.
The Kennedy Center has presented the award since 1998 as a way to recognize those who have made significant contributions to humor and commentary in the United States. Previous winners include , , , , and .
The award will be presented on June 28, just before Trump plans to close the Kennedy Center for renovations expected to last about two years. Since returning to office, the Republican president has wielded tremendous influence over the venue, and replacing it with a handpicked board of trustees that named him chairman.
The board to the Kennedy Center and approved the closure, actions that have that are ongoing.
Maher and the president have long had a fraught relationship.
Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Jay Leno鈥檚 鈥淭he Tonight Show,鈥� Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump鈥檚 choice if he could prove he was not 鈥渢he spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.鈥�
Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher didn鈥檛 pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.
The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year.
鈥淗e came into the famed Oval Office much different than I thought he would be,鈥� Trump wrote online. 鈥淗e was extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself.鈥� Trump said the comedian admitted he was 鈥渟cared.鈥�
Maher described the dinner as a 鈥済ood time鈥� during his April 11 episode of noting that Trump was 鈥済racious and measured鈥� and not like the 鈥減erson who plays a crazy person on TV.鈥� He said he wasn鈥檛 scared.
He took time in his 鈥淣ew Rules鈥� segment to point out the various Trump policies he liked, including the 鈥渕ass removal of stone cold criminals鈥� and making pay 鈥渢heir fair share.鈥�
鈥淚 may be the last person from the lunatic left that is still an honest broker when it comes to you,鈥� he said. 鈥滻 always want the American president to succeed, and I do give credit when you have, but there鈥檚 lots of stuff you do that is not my idea of success, and I have every right to say so in a democracy.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report.
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