Mark Twain Prize

Jay Leno: College Students Are 'So Politically Correct’ Now
By Randy Hall | March 21, 2015 | 2:21 PM EDT

During one of his rare television appearances since stepping down as host of NBC's Tonight Show on February 6, 2014, Jay Leno discussed a wide variety of topics with the host of Late Night With Seth Meyers, including the dramatic rise of political correctness on college campuses.

The topic came up when Meyers congratulated Leno for winning the Mark Twain Award for Humor -- a bronze bust of the 19th-Century novelist, essayist and humorist -- which is presented annually by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing arts “to an individual who has made a significant contribution to American humor.”

Bozell Column: Ellen DeGeneres, The 'Sacred Cow' of PBS
By Brent Bozell | November 3, 2012 | 8:02 AM EDT

The PBS broadcast of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize on October 30 was a festival of tributes to Ellen DeGeneres – which is fine, since she is quite talented comedically. But it wasn’t so much a tribute for the comedy as it was for her pioneering work promoting homosexuality.

For laughs, consult top producer Cappy McGarr, who insisted Ellen wasn’t picked for political reasons: “The Kennedy Center is apolitical. We have had so many people who have their own brand and type of humor. We don’t pick winners because of any advocacy they do. It is all about funny and a funny life.”