As he presented the Mark Twain Prize to Conan O’Brien at the end of a ceremony at the Kennedy Center this evening, David Letterman said to the audience, “I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show, in history for all time, this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance, […]As he presented the Mark Twain Prize to Conan O’Brien at the end of a ceremony at the Kennedy Center this evening, David Letterman said to the audience, “I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show, in history for all time, this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance,
As he presented the Mark Twain Prize to Conan O’Brien at the end of a ceremony at the Kennedy Center this evening, David Letterman said to the audience, “I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show, in history for all time, this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance, ever.”
Letterman was speaking to what was like an act of resistance, given that Donald Trump now controls the Kennedy Center, after ousting the president, firing board members to ensure loyalty and ensuring that he himself would be the chairman of the arts institution.
Throughout the evening, comedians tossed in quips at the situation in their comic roasting and heartfelt tributes to O’Brien.
Stephen Colbert: “This is a very different place. Today they announced two board members, Bashar-al-Assad and Skeletor.”
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John Mulaney: “Welcome to the Kennedy Center, or as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for big strong men.”
Sarah Silverman: “I just really miss the days when you were America’s only orange asshole.”
There were a number of jokes about this being the final Mark Twain Prize, given some of the night’s humor at the expense of the president. Other jokes tended to mock O’Brien’s fair skin complexion, his offbeat humor, his roller coaster of a career, and Jay Leno.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog emceed the evening, greeting the audience with, “Thank you all for coming, and shame on you for being here.” That was a reference to all of the artists who have canceled shows at the Kennedy Center in protest, including the producers of Hamilton.
Nikki Glaser found herself stopped by a recurring character on O’Brien’s show, the obnoxious man called The Interrupter.
“Don’t you have…” Glaser said. “A cabinet meeting to get to?” he interjected.
“Great, so you are the new…” she asked. “Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,” he answered.
“You are also a…” she said, before he added, “Registered sex offender.”
“Which this administration considers…” Glaser said, before The Interrupter quickly responded, “A massive plus!”
Other comedians didn’t directly address Trump, but surely referred to the political environment.
Kumail Nanjiani said that another of the recurring characters on O’Brien’s show, the Masturbating Bear, was his “little introduction to America.”
“This is a fitting introduction to America. Nothing represents America better than an unbelievably powerful predator pleasuring himself on television.”
Bill Burr said, “Nothing says comedy like the free-flowing creative vibes of the District of Columbia. I don’t know what it is. There’s something about starting and prolonging wars while crushing the working man for your own self interest that really inspires all who gather. on this crew.”
The event was the first major fete since Trump took over the venue, but O’Brien was selected by the previous regime, then led by its chairman, David Rubenstein and president, Deborah Rutter, both ousted by Trump. When O’Brien mentioned their names, he got a big ovation, before he quipped, “Honestly, I don’t know why they are not here tonight. I lost Wifi in January …”
The quip got laughs.
Then O’Brien thanked those who have worked at the Kennedy Center “for years, and who are worried about what the future might bring. My eternal thanks for their selfless devotion to the arts.”
His comment drew a long, sustained ovation.
In his acceptance, O’Brien also spoke of Twain, someone who “punched up, not down, and he deeply, deeply empathized with the weak.” The implied comparison was to the current moment.
“Twain was allergic to hypocrisy and he loathed racism,” O’Brien noted.
He added, “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 couldn’t finish on a serious note, though. After a standing ovation for his remarks, announced another guest. From the audience appeared a man dressed as Mark Twain, and the two engaged in a conversation and finished in a hug. They were soon joined by other Mark Twains who exchanged hugs, to a sentimental soundtrack. That was followed by the true finale, with Adam Sandler and O’Brien on guitar to “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Perhaps it was another form of resistance: Neil Young sued Trump over the unauthorized use of the song during a past presidential campaign.
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