Since 1998, The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has been awarded to those who have made a lasting impact on comedy. Past Awards have gone to Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Neil Simon, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Carol Burnett, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, David Letterman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dave Chappelle, and Jon Stewart.
Today, it’s been announced that Adam Sandler will be receiving the next Mark Twain Prize, in a gala ceremony that will be held in March 2023.
“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL,” said Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter in a statement, “Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing.”
Sandler, of course, is an obvious choice. Like them or not, his comedies have generated more than 4 billion dollars at the box office, and Murder Mystery was the highest performing film in Netflix history when it debuted in 2019.
