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"Hamilton" astatine Kennedy Center canceled
Washington — On a nighttime erstwhile fractional a twelve radical made jokes astir this being the last-ever Mark Twain Prize, Conan O'Brien made definite the ceremonial astatine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ended connected a precocious note.
O'Brien accepted the grant for beingness accomplishment successful drama Sunday nighttime portion acknowledging the backstage turmoil that hangs implicit the aboriginal of the taste halfway successful Washington.
Conan O'Brien walks retired connected signifier astatine the commencement of the 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Conan O'Brien connected March 23, 2025 astatine the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington.
Kevin Wolf / AP
O'Brien, 61, was named the 26th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize successful mid-January.
Last month, Mr. Trump dissolved the Kennedy Center's committee of directors and named himself chairman. The new committee includes governmental allies similar White House main of unit Susie Wiles, longtime elder Trump adjutant Dan Scavino, 2nd woman Usha Vance and Fox News big Laura Ingraham.
On Sunday, O'Brien specifically thanked Rubenstein and Rutter - drafting an extended circular of applause - arsenic good arsenic Kennedy Center staffers who, helium said, were "worried astir what the aboriginal mightiness bring."
He said the illustration of Mark Twain's ain beingness and vocation was peculiarly resonant astatine this infinitesimal successful American history.
"Twain hated bullies. ... He punched up, not down, and helium profoundly empathized with the weak," O'Brien said. "Twain loved America, but helium knew it was profoundly flawed."
A Mark Twain impersonator past emerged from the audience. After a back-and-forth statement with O'Brien, helium joined him connected signifier and the brace dilatory danced for a while. They were past joined by a twelve much Twain impersonators and erstwhile Twain Prize recipient Adam Sandler for a raucous rendition of Neil Young's "Rockin successful the Free World."
Barbs aimed astatine Trump's Kennedy Center changes
That philharmonic ending capped disconnected a nighttime erstwhile the uncertain destiny of the Kennedy Center itself was woven done the aggregate tributes and testimonials to O'Brien.
"I deliberation it would beryllium insane not to code the elephant successful the room," comic Nikki Glaser said connected the reddish carpet earlier the ceremony. "It's successful the aerial tonight. This nighttime is astir Conan, but it tin beryllium both."
Once the festivities began, Stephen Colbert joked that the Kennedy Center had announced 2 caller committee members: Bashar Assad, the ousted president of Syria, and Skeletor, a fictional supervillain.
John Mulaney quipped that the full gathering would soon beryllium renamed "the Roy Cohn Pavilion" aft 1 of Trump's mentors. And Sarah Silverman made aggregate Trump jokes that were excessively vulgar to print.
Mr. Trump, successful announcing the Kennedy Center changes, posted connected his Truth Social societal media platform that those who were dismissed "do not stock our Vision for a Golden Age successful Arts and Culture."
How that imaginativeness takes signifier remains to beryllium seen, but Mr. Trump has spoken astir wanting to publication much Broadway shows determination and floated the thought of granting Kennedy Center Honors presumption to histrion Sylvester Stallone and singer-songwriter Paul Anka.
Conan's occasional steps into controversy
Into this maelstrom stepped O'Brien, whose comedic persona has seldom been peculiarly political.
The comic has ever tended much toward goofiness and self-deprecation. But helium has besides leaned into delicate societal issues astatine times.
In 2011, O'Brien officiated a cheery wedding unrecorded connected his show, overseeing the matrimony of his longtime costume decorator Scott Cronick and his spouse David Gorshein.
O'Brien vaulted into the spotlight from near-total obscurity successful 1993 erstwhile helium was chosen to regenerate David Letterman arsenic big of "Late Night" contempt nary important on-camera experience. The erstwhile Harvard Lampoon exertion had spent the erstwhile years arsenic a writer for "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons," appearing connected camera lone arsenic an occasional inheritance other successful "SNL" skits.
He went connected to big "Late Night" for 16 years, longer than immoderate different host. O'Brien was aboriginal tapped to regenerate Jay Leno arsenic big of "The Tonight Show," but that experimentation ended successful nationalist failure. After 7 months of declining ratings, NBC executives brought Leno backmost for a caller amusement that would bump "The Tonight Show" back. O'Brien refused to judge the move, starring to a nationalist spat that ended with a multimillion-dollar payout for O'Brien and his unit to exit the web successful aboriginal 2010.
O'Brien went connected to big different speech amusement connected the cablegram presumption TBS, portion launching palmy podcasts and question shows.
He is presently connected a late-career elder statesman blistery streak. His question series, "Conan O'Brien Must Go," drew fashionable and captious acclaim, with a 2nd play coming. His caller gig hosting the Academy Awards was truthful good received that the producers announced they are bringing him backmost adjacent year.
In the aftermath of Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center, respective artists, including the producers of "Hamilton" and histrion and writer Issa Rae, announced they were canceling appearances astatine the venue.
Others person chosen to execute portion making their sentiments known from the stage. Comic W. Kamau Bell straight addressed the contention successful his show conscionable days aft the shake-up. Earlier this month, cellist Erin Murphy Snedecor ended her acceptable with a show of the Woody Guthrie protestation anthem "All You Fascists Bound to Lose."
Other comedians receiving the beingness accomplishment grant see some Letterman and Leno, on with George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Bill Murray and Dave Chappelle.
The ceremonial volition beryllium streamed connected Netflix connected May 4.
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