Kennedy Center Teams Up With Netflix To Stream Mark Twain Prize

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts TODAY announced a multi-year partnership with Netflix as the exclusive televised home of THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE for American Humor, commencing this year with the celebration of Kevin Hart and the 25th anniversary of America's top prize for comedy.

Hart will be awarded THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE for his extraordinary contributions to the genre and his impressive achievements across comedy, film, and television. The live ceremony will be held in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, March 24, 2024, and will premiere on Netflix on Sunday, May 11, 2024, during the Netflix is a Joke Fest.

This year's program will feature a cast of leading performers, including Dave Burd aka “Lil Dicky,” Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Nelly, The Plastic Cup Boyz (John Clausell, Ron “Boss” Everline, Wayne Brown, Will “Spank” Horton, Na'im Lynn, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells), Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and J.B. Smoove. The music director for the 25th Mark Twain Prize is Adam Blackstone. Artists are subject to change.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented by Wells Fargo, recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain. As a social commentator, satirist, and creator of characters, Clemens was a fearless observer of society, who startled many while delighting and informing many more with his uncompromising perspective on social injustice and personal folly.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Netflix and continue the Center's 25-year tradition of celebrating exceptional comedians like Kevin," commented Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter. “The Mark Twain Prize, which annually brings the comedy community together to recognize comedic excellence and impact, aligns with Netflix's standing as the eminent home for comedy programming. We're excited to bring this spectacular night of tributes, roasts, and hilarity to Netflix.” 

As a recipient of THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE for American Humor, Hart will receive a copy of a 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt (1853–1940). Previous recipients of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), and Adam Sandler (2023).

The 25th annual MARK TWAIN PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR is under the direction of Executive Producer David Jammy and the creative team from Done + Dusted, the Kennedy Center's producing partner for THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE since 2018. This year's ceremony marks the 25th year in its illustrious history. Previous broadcast partners have included Comedy Central (1998-1999), PBS (2000-2022), and CNN (2023). The 2024 Mark Twain Prize Gala will be co-chaired by Barbara Goodman Manilow and Cappy McGarr. David M. Rubenstein is the Honorary Chair for the Mark Twain Prize. United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Mark Twain Prize.

The event was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber. The Kennedy Center is grateful to Cappy McGarr for his steadfast support of the MARK TWAIN PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR since its inception in 1998.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's living memorial to President Kennedy. It is the nation's busiest performing arts facility and annually hosts more than 2,000 performances for audiences totaling nearly 2 million; Center-related touring productions and television and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more. The Center presents performances of music, dance, and theater, supports artists in the creation of new work, and serves the nation as a leader in arts education.

About KEVIN HART

Emmy and Grammy–nominated Kevin Hart was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he launched his career as a comedian during an amateur night at a local comedy club. Over the years, Hart has become Hollywood's box office powerhouse, opening 11 films at number one at the box office and grossing more than in $4.23 billion global revenue.  

Hart has also become a successful entrepreneur; he is chairman of Hartbeat, a global, multi-platform media company creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture with a mission to “keep the world laughing together.” The company unites Hartbeat Productions' best-in-class TV and film production capabilities with Laugh Out Loud's expansive distribution network, along with its marketing, sales, experiential, branded content, digital, and social capabilities. Hart is also the founder of HartBeat Ventures. Together, these companies play an integral role in building Hart's ecosystem for extraordinary growth and creativity.

Hart continues to develop, star, and produce feature films, television, and podcasts via Hartbeat for his various partners, including Netflix, Peacock, Sirius XM, and Audible. Hart recently toured internationally with his eighth hour of stand-up material titled The Reality Check Tour. Hart filmed his hour in Las Vegas and, on July 6, exclusively released it as a comedy special for streaming on Peacock. The tour was named the number one Comedy Tour of 2022 by Billboard, and Hart was awarded the People's Choice Award for Comedy Act of 2022 on behalf of the new hour.

In 2020, Hart released his seventh hour-long stand-up special, Zero F**ks Given, which quickly became Netflix's biggest stand-up special of 2020, earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album, as well as an Emmy nomination. Hart also earned Emmy nominations for Die Hart and the sequel Die Hart 2: Die Harter, both for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. Hart is a New York Times bestselling author twice over and his first Audible original, The Decision, was nominated for an Audie Award for Best Original Audiobook in 2021. 

Hart is a founding partner in three companies: the premium tequila brand, Gran Coramino; plant-based restaurant, Hart House; and the nutritional wellness brand, Vita Hustle. Hart's brand partnerships include Sam's Club, Audemars Piguet, Fabletics Men, Chase J.P Morgan, Draft Kings, Hydrow, NutraBolt, and Therabody. 

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