A certain orange-hair figure dominated the ceremony for the Mark Twain Prize on Sunday night and it wasn’t the honoree Conan O’Brien.
It was President Donald Trump.
The backstage drama of Kennedy Center leadership became the subject of several on stage jokes, along with the other moves Trump is making as his presidency marches on. Trump didn’t attend the Mark Twain ceremony – presidents usually don’t – but his presence dominated the Concert Hall.
The president wasn’t mentioned by name as a series of comedians roasted O’Brien but the target of their jokes was clear.
‘I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show in the history for all time, this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance, ever,’ David Letterman said.
Sarah Silverman really let it rip.
‘I just really miss the days when you were America’s only orange a**hole,’ she told O’Brien. The audience burst into loud applause. O’Brien was visibly laughing.
Comedian Conan O’Brien, center, and his wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, looks out on the crowd at the start of the 26th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Silverman took her joke even further. She brought back a comic bit she used when she appeared on O’Brien’s late night show, showing how a closeup photo of his lips looks like a vagina.
As part of the gag, she encouraged the audience at the Kennedy Center to look under their seats for a photo of O’Brien’s lips. But there was no photo – that was part of the joke.
She repeatedly encouraged the audience to put their hands between their legs as they searched for the non-existent photo.
‘Please, really hold it. Please hold it between your legs. I’m not seeing anybody doing this,’ she said as the audience roared and played along.
‘Look at this. Conan, look at this. It’s so beautiful. Keep doing it,’ she ordered the crowd.
And she closed the bit with a reference to a comment Trump made in an interview on Access Hollywood that aired during his first presidential campaign: ‘You go ahead and leave those photos on your seat when you go. The guy who took over loves grabbing p***y.’
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in early February. In the wake of his move, he fired the president and chairman. The board of trustees then named Trump the chairman.
The president also filled the board with his loyalists, including chief of staff Susie Wiles and Usha Vance, the second lady. He named supporter Ric Grenell as executive director of the center.
But few administration figures were seen at the Kennedy Center on Sunday for the taping of the 26th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. O’Brien was selected as honoree before Trump took over as chairman of the center.
The ceremony will air on Netflix on May 4th.
O’Brien, in his acceptance speech, expressed shock at getting the biggest award in American comedy.
He also addressed the changes and uncertainty the Kennedy Center faces in the wake of Trump’s takeover.
‘Thanks to my people who invited me here a few months ago: Deborah Rutter and David Rubenstein,’ he said.
Trump fired Rutter, the president, and Rubenstein, the chairman, when he took over the center.
‘Honestly, I don’t know why they aren’t here tonight. I lost Wi Fi in January – guessing they’re in traffic,’ O’Brien added. ‘And a special thanks to all the beautiful people who have worked here at the Kennedy Center for years and who are worried about what the future might bring.’
That garnered a standing ovation from the audience. Several staff members of the center, watching the ceremony, looked visibly moved.
David Letterman referred to the audience at the Kennedy Center as members of the resistence
President Donald Trump didn’t attend the taping of the Mark Twain Prize but he did visit the Kennedy Center last week in the wake of his takeover
Sarah Silverman went after Trump hard in her roast of Conan O’Brien
O’Brien also tied together comedian Mark Twain and the current political climate: ‘Twain was a patriot in the best sense of the world. He loved America, but knew it was deeply flawed. Twain wrote, patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it.’
‘Now, some of you, some of you might be thinking, what does this have to do with comedy?’ he said. ‘Twain is funny and important today because his comedy is a hilarious celebration of our fears, our ineptitude, and the glorious mess of being human.’
Many of the comedians who roasted O’Brien, aware of the turmoil at the center and in the larger political world, referenced President Trump.
Will Ferrell, acknowledging Trump’s effort to cut the federal government, joked: ‘I don’t have time for this. You know what I’m supposed to be doing right now? Do you have any idea? I’m supposed to be shutting down the Department of Education.’
Comedian Nikki Glaser told reporters on the red carpet that comedians should address Trump’s decision to take over as chairman of the Kennedy Center and the controversial decisions he’s making as president.
‘I think it’s insane not to address the elephant in the room. And it’s insane comedically to not do that, because it’s right there,’ she said.
Glaser added that she understood, however, while some comics may not want to target the president so ‘you don’t end up on a list.’
‘Like you just are scared that you’re gonna get doxxed and death threats or no matter, you know, who knows where this leads, like, detained,’ she said. ‘Honestly, that’s not even like a joke. It’s like a real fear.’
But, she said, for her part in the show, Conan ‘is the only orange monster I’ll be addressing in the room tonight.’
Other comedians also focused on Conan instead of the president, including Andy Richter, Tracy Morgan, and Adam Sandler.
Nikki Glaser was one of the many comedians roasting Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien thanked the Kennedy Center staff in his acceptance speech
The ceremony was filled with comedic bits taken from O’Brien’s longtime NBC show Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
It started with the announcer saying: ‘Welcome to a new era of the Kennedy Center, a Kennedy Center that celebrates true American values. This vaunted stage will now showcase distinguished, elegant and revered entertainment that we as a nation can be proud of.’
Then came a skit straight out of O’Brien’s late night show: a person in a bear costume masterbating through a diaper. Two agents ran out on stage with tasers and removed the bear.
Then Triumph the insult comic dog got the show moving.
John Mulaney, in his roast of Conan, noted: ‘It’s an honor to be here at the Kennedy Center, or as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big Strong Men Who Love Cats.’
Trump, when he visited the Kennedy Center last week, suggested the art center bring the hit Broadway show Cats in for a run.
Stephen Colbert did a bit based on O’Brien’s viral hot wings skit, noting: ‘In light of the new leadership at the Kennedy Center, all of these are right wings and a couple of them are truly insane.’
Several comedians joked that O’Brien was ‘receiving the 26th and final Mark Twain prize,’ hinting at a fear Trump will end the award ceremony.
Comedian Bill Burr summed the evening up well, telling reporters on the red carpet: ‘It’s a weird time.’
