Dave Chappelle Awarded Mark Twain Prize For Humor
He may have already won two Emmys, two Grammys and Player Hater of the Year, but for Dave Chappelle, there are still a few prestigious distinctions yet unclaimed in his accomplished comedy career. He will take home one more award later this year when he receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the annual honor bestowed by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“Dave is the embodiment of Mark Twain’s observation that ‘against the assault of humor, nothing can stand.’ For three decades, Dave has challenged us to see hot-button issues from his entirely original yet relatable perspective.”
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Congratulations to Dave Chappelle, this year’s Mark Twain prize winner. It’s actually a very prestigious award in comedy, and it always leads to a fun night of speeches and presentations. Every year, the most successful comedians in the game come out and deliver their best stuff to honor their friends. It’s so much better than the network-foisted drivel they do at the Oscars and Emmys. I could write about Chappelle’s talent for a week, but I assume we all just get it at this point. Instead, here are my favorite presentations from recent Mark Twain awards. To comedy fans, this is porn.
Larry David on winner Steve Martin, 2005
This isn’t good for an awards show speech; this is one of the best-written segments of comedy I’ve ever heard. LD leaning in to the character he’s created over the years to paint Steve Martin as a “mean, selfish, plagiarizing, incontinent, cowardly, drunken egomaniac” flips the whole fawning, effusive awards speech on its head. He heightens for five minutes until landing on “shut up, ya dirty Jew,”—the hardest punchline you can land on—and sticks it. Listen to the pop he gets from the audience there. Absolutely brilliant.
Jerry Seinfeld on winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 2018
Sticking with the Seinfeld world, JLD as a “network note” is fantastic. Her career is fucking preposterous: every single thing she touches turns to gold (with one tiny exception in Watching Ellie, which co-starred Steve Carrell, reminding us that even with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Steve Carrell helming a show, it can fail). It also melts your heart to see how much Seinfeld appreciates and loves Julia.
Will Ferrell receives his Mark Twain award, 2011
Will trying to pick up the pieces of the award and the look on his face. His interplay with his wife in the balcony. Telling the band to stop playing. He’s unbridled, automatic funny, and it’s a speech that also reveals just how intelligent he is.
Bill Murray on David Letterman, 2017
Murray won the award the previous year, and he makes a full, delicious meal out this presentation. Continuing to eat that burger throughout his speech, in front of a few thousand media and entertainment dignitaries, is a level of confidence and commitment to a bit that only Bill Murray can summon.
Can’t wait to see who presents for Chappelle. Questlove, John Mayer, Donnell Rawlings, maybe Bill Burr (people forget Burr wrote on Chappelle show).
And as a nightcap, here’s a 1997 Chappelle set from Letterman.