Bill Maher was the person reportedly expected to receive the Mark Twain Prize, and reports said the Trump White House tried to block it. The award ultimately still went forward for Maher, according to later reporting.

What happened

In March 2026, multiple outlets reported that Bill Maher had been selected or offered the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, then the White House denied it and said he would not get the honor.

A few days later, the Kennedy Center announced that Maher was, in fact, set to receive the prize, which made it clear the initial attempt to stop it did not hold.

Why people are talking about it

The story spread because it mixed comedy politics, the Kennedy Center, and Trump’s feud with Maher. That made it an easy topic for forum posts and entertainment coverage to frame as “Trump tried to stop the Mark Twain Prize.”

The name to remember

The person at the center of this was Bill Maher.

TL;DR

Bill Maher was the comedian reportedly slated for the Mark Twain Prize, and Trump’s White House reportedly tried to block it, but the award still ended up being awarded to Maher.