More than two decades after comedian Richard Pryor was awarded the first-ever Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Dave Chappelle will receive the honor at a Kennedy Center ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 27, which will then air on PBS in January 2020. Previous recipients of the award have included Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, and most recently Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Bill Cosby was honored in 2009, but the award was subsequently rescinded in 2018. “As America’s largest stage for the arts, PBS is proud to continue our longstanding tradition of broadcasting The Mark Twain Prize to households across the country,” Paula Kerger, PBS president and CEO, said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating Dave Chappelle and his indelible contributions to American humor.”
