Ellen DeGeneres to Receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Posted on October 22, 2012

Ellen DeGeneres will be honored tonight at the Kennedy Center with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The prize honors American writer Mark Twain, and will be aired on PBS on October 30, 2012 at 8:00pm ET.

A host of celebrities will be on hand to honor Ellen including, Kristin Chenoweth, Steve Harvey, Sean Hayes, Jimmy Kimmel, John Krasinski, John Leguizamo, Jane Lynch, Jason Mraz and Lily Tomlin.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein had this to say about the event: "The Kennedy Center is happy to recognize Ellen DeGeneres' unique contributions to the world of comedy. Through her television programs, stand-up appearances, movies, and even commercials, her special brand of humor has allowed us to find hilarity in the mundane and has kept us laughing for years."

Ellen responded to the honor in a statement saying, "It's such an honor to receive the Mark Twain Prize. To get the same award that has been given to people like Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, it really makes me wonder..why didn't I get this sooner?"

Ellen will receive a copy of an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt (1853-1940). Will Ferrell promptly dropped his after receiving it. Ferrell than crawled across the stage picking up the pieces, threatening anyone who tried to take them from him.