Comedian and political commentator Jon Stewart, best known for his turn as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and his widely recognized performance in the movie Death to Smoochie, will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American humor Sunday in Washington, DC, the Associated Press reports.
Stewart will join a long list of distinguished recipients including Carol Burnett, the oldest recipient at age 80; Tina Fey, the youngest at age 40; Eddie Murphy; Jonathan Winters; George Carlin and Lily Tomlin. The prize has been awarded annually since 1979, when Richard Pryor received the first award; there was a two year gap in 2020 and 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2009 recipient, Bill Cosby, had his award revoked following multiple accusations of sexual abuse, rape and other misconduct.