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The comedian and former late-night host will receive the Kennedy Center’s annual comedy award at a ceremony in March.
By Sara Bahr
Conan O’Brien probably would have put his late nights behind him to podcast, travel the world, and soon host the Oscars, but his comic book paintings and man-on-the-street comedy aren’t so easily forgotten.
On Thursday, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts identified O’Brien’s versatility and experimentation by announcing it would award him its 26th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a ceremony on March 23. (The event will stream on Netflix later. )
The outlet cited O’Brien’s “unique blend of intelligence, silliness, insight and hilarity,” and added his most prominent writing credit: the “Simpsons” monorail episode, as well as his accomplishments as a comedian and late-night host. , writer, podcaster, and producer.
In a statement, O’Brien, 61, referenced the lesser-known vocation of Samuel Clemens, better known by his pseudonym, Mark Twain, after whom the award is named. “I am revered for being the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize, known for his humor and for my work as a riverboat pilot,” he said.
O’Brien got his start writing for “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s, then served as a talk-show host for nearly three decades — “Late Night” on NBC from 1993 to 2009, “The Tonight Show” on NBC in an aborted run, and finally “Conan” on TBS from 2010 until 2021. He has won five Emmy Awards and has become known for his brand of joyfully goofy absurdity.
In 2018, he published a weekly podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” in which he chatted with other comedians and actors, as well as friends, political figures, and other people he admired. He sold the screen to SiriusXM in a deal for his podcasting company for a whopping $150 million, setting a blueprint for other former hosts like James Corden and Trevor Noah.
Since leaving late-night TV in 2021, he has continued to paint on the podcast, which he turned into a foreign series, “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” premiering on Max in AprilArray The show, in which he meets enthusiasts with who in the past chatted via video calls on his podcast, won an Emmy and was renewed for a season.
Sarah Bahr writes about culture and tastes for The Times. Learn more about Sarah Bahr
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