Bill Maher accepts Mark Twain Prize amid jokes about Trump's failed Kennedy Center rename

Outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a giant tarpaulin remained in place to conceal Donald Trump's humiliation. Guests entering the national arts complex on Sunday night could not see the section of its marble facade where Trump's name was recently erased to comply with a court order.

But once they sat down for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony, there was no hiding place as performers delivered punchlines at the expense of a US president whose power appears to be waning, at least in this corner of Washington DC.

Paying tribute to this year's recipient, comedian Bill Maher, actor Woody Harrelson said: "Finally, an award for my dear friend – ironically at the Trump Kennedy Center. No, all right, we fixed that." The audience erupted in applause. Then, apparently acknowledging the tarp-covered scaffolding, Harrelson added: "Not as though you'd be able to notice."

Trump seized control of the Kennedy Center last year, installing himself as its chair. His handpicked board voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center and affix his name to the wall. But last month, a judge ruled that the addition of Trump's name to the building was illegal and ordered that the 18 letters be removed.

On Sunday, a step-and-repeat backdrop on the red carpet featured the name "Kennedy Center" without Trump's name, but framed photos of President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and second lady Usha Vance remained on the wall.

The legal saga became immediate fodder for jokes. Former late-night host Jay Leno said on the red carpet: "This is funny to me. It's not war, it's not antisemitism, it's not racism – it's vanity. It's so silly, it's like high school with money. Covering the name now – hilarious! It's high school. 'I'll show them, I'll cover the name!'"

During the ceremony, which Trump did not attend, comedian Whitney Cummings quipped: "I'm just glad we all celebrated Bill tonight, even though Trump is now the board chair of this venue. He actually does have a lot of power here and he has a say what productions go on here, so enjoy this fall's three-month run of White Hamilton." (The musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, canceled a planned run at the Kennedy Center in direct response to Trump's takeover and will stage performances at the National Theatre instead.)

Cummings added pointedly: "The thing about comedy is that we aren't scared. We try not to be scared of people that bully."

Maher, 70, relishes a persona as an unmarried atheist contrarian who defies groupthink and assails Trump as well as the "woke" left. The ceremony highlighted his role as an "equal opportunity offender."

Accepting his prize, Maher reflected on his 33-year television career and expressed pride in his refusal to coddle viewers or bow to partisan demands. "People say they want honesty. They don't. They want to live in a bubble," Maher told the audience, praising his own loyal viewership as a unique cohort who "do not demand to be pandered to."

The ceremony drew an unusual mix of Democrats and Republicans, Trump officials and members of the public. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman praised Maher's unwavering support for Israel. Asked about the controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center's name, Fetterman said: "The center will outlive the Trump administration and I'm not worried about putting someone's name on it."

The Mark Twain Prize was established in 1998. Maher joins a list of recipients that includes Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Conan O'Brien. The ceremony is scheduled to air on Netflix on July 21.