Conan O’Brien, the undisputed champion of tall-haired comedy, is about to get a very shiny, very prestigious award—the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. That’s right, the same man who once spent an entire segment spinning his wedding ring on a desk is now being honored for his genius.
At 61 years old (but still rocking the energy of a hyper-caffeinated teenager), Conan will accept the prize at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on March 23. And if you’re thinking, “Wait, how can I watch this magnificent event?”—don’t worry, Netflix has your back. It’ll be available for streaming later, so you can witness history while simultaneously ignoring your “Continue Watching” list.
In true Conan fashion, the comedy legend addressed the honor by saying, “I am honored to be the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot.” Because let’s be honest—if you could not make a joke about Mark Twain, are you even Conan O’Brien?
What’s So Special About Conan?
According to the Kennedy Center, Conan is basically the comedy industry’s MacGyver—constantly inventing, reinventing, and finding new ways to make us laugh. And they’re not wrong! From Late Night with Conan O’Brien to The Tonight Show (for like 5 minutes) to his beloved travel series, he’s been pushing comedic boundaries for decades.
The Comedy Hall of Fame
Conan now joins an elite club of past winners, which includes:
– Steve Martin (Father of the Bride and modern dad jokes)
– Tina Fey (30 Rock and the reason every woman in glasses is suddenly “quirky”)
– Will Ferrell (who somehow made cowbells and elf costumes cool?)
– Jay Leno (owner of 9,000 cars and 1 hairstyle)
– Eddie Murphy (basically every character in a 90s movie)
– Bill Murray (the only man allowed to crash a wedding and make it better)
– David Letterman (Santa Claus if he was sarcastic and hosted talk shows)
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine! Need we say more?)
– Dave Chappelle (The king of making us laugh and think)
– Jon Stewart (The reason half of us passed high school history)
– Adam Sandler (Gibberish-speaking legend of the 90s)
– Kevin Hart (Short but very mighty)
Drama at the Kennedy Center?
Of course, no fancy award ceremony is complete without a little backstage drama! In February, former President Donald Trump briefly took over the Kennedy Center (because sure, why not?)—leading to some, let’s say, “artistic differences” (translation: chaos). Then, earlier this month, Whoopi Goldberg declared she would no longer attend performances at the venue, presumably because she’s had enough of the shenanigans.
But despite all that, one thing is certain: on March 23, Conan O’Brien will take the stage, accept his award, and remind us why he’s one of the funniest people to ever have too much hair for one man.
Now, someone get Andy Richter a trophy, too.
