New York — New York (AFP) – John Mellencamp, Jay Leno Whitney Cummings will be among the guest speakers when Bill Maher He received the Mark Twain Award for American Humor during a ceremony held on June 28 at the Theater Kennedy Center.
The center revealed the list Monday in an email sent to members, who were offered offers ranging from $99 to reserve a seat to $1,500 and more for seating and admission at pre- and post-show receptions. The announcement also marks a marked change in how the center identifies itself: The news came from the Kennedy Center, not “Trump Kennedy Center,” a key that also appears on the center’s home page.
Last month, a federal judge ruled so President Donald Trump The carefully selected board of trustees acted illegally when they voted to add Trump’s name to the place, which Congress in 1964 named after recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
“The Kennedy Center statutes clearly state that the Center shall be named for President Kennedy, and may bear no other official name or public monument at the discretion of the Board,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper wrote. “Congress has given the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
Although a Kennedy spokesman indicated the venue might appeal the decision, the center received an email last week from its general counsel outlining steps to cooperate, including removing Trump’s name. After Trump snubbed the Kennedy Center during his first term, he quickly made the center a central part of his overall mission to purge federal cultural institutions of so-called “woke” influences. He ousted the leadership, packed the Board of Trustees with supporters, and presided over signature events like the Kennedy tribute ceremony.
In response, several artists canceled scheduled appearances at the center, including Issa Rae, Bella Fleck and Renée Fleming.
Maher is the 27th recipient of the Twain Award, which has previously been given to Leno, Steve Martin, Tina Fey and others. Trump and Maher have had a public spat in recent years, but the HBO host is the kind of comedian that many Republicans find palatable — a self-described independent who regularly attacks Hollywood as “woke” and has interviewed everyone from stalwart liberals like Jane Fonda to conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk to “cancel” culture figures like Woody Allen.
Other guests expected to attend Twain’s concert include comedian Louis CK, who has been touring regularly since sexual misconduct allegations briefly upended his career after they were reported in 2017, and controversial ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, whose outspoken comments about sports and beyond have led to fierce exchanges with NBA star Jaylen Brown, commentator Keith Olbermann and others.