Mark Twain Prize

About the Show

A lineup of leading performers, including Samantha Bee, Steve Carell, Dave Chappelle, Gary Clark Jr., Stephen Colbert, Pete Davidson, Ed Helms, Jimmy Kimmel, Olivia Munn, Bruce Springsteen, Bassem Youssef, and others salute Jon Stewart at the 23rd annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize. The program pays tribute to the humor and accomplishments of Stewart and is available on PBS.

The 23rd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is under the direction of the creative team from Done + Dusted.

A note from the Executive Producers:

If Mark Twain were alive today, we think he might well have chosen a career hosting a late night comedy satire show. Luckily, in his stead, we have Jon Stewart, who brilliantly continues Twain’s legacy, albeit with fewer white suits.

The Mark Twain Prize is a pleasure to produce—the funniest people on the globe come together because they WANT to be here—no twisting of arms, no begging, no cajoling— they come with love and joy and laughter, and never more than this year, because no-one sparks the spirit of this community more than Jon Stewart.

Jon has almost single-handedly shaped many of our worldviews through his always funny, always incisive lens and he has done it with unwavering grace and intelligence. His impact has been more profound than he knows, and we are delighted to curate an event that will allow us to prove it to him. We’re honored to celebrate this unparalleled satirist and hope that this evening will inspire Jon to continue shining his hilarious beacon of decency, humanity, and patriotism for all of us to follow.

— Done+Dusted

About Done+Dusted

Longtime friends Hamish Hamilton, Ian Stewart and Simon Pizey created Done+Dusted in London in the late 90s. Creativity, collaboration and excellent production management gained them an incredible client base that quickly became international in size and scope. Creative Director Russell Thomas and COO Melanie Fletcher soon joined the executive team and the company opened up a second office in America. Shortly after, Katy Mullan, David Jammy and Guy Carrington joined the executive team, bringing renewed focus on expansion, development and company philosophy.

Executive Producers: David Jammy, Rick Austin & Kristen Wong

Credits

Along with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the creators and executive producers of the Mark Twain Prize are Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, & Cappy McGarr. The WETA Washington, D.C., executive producer is John Wilson.