Conan O'Brien will receive the Mark Twain Prize for comedy

Comedian Conan O'Brien will receive the 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He's shown above in New York City in 2016. Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for TBS hide caption

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Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for TBS

Mark Twain might be delighted to know that Conan O'Brien, a fellow red-head, has won the prestigious honor that bears his name.

"Why, man, red is the natural color of beauty!" he wrote in "Oh, She Has a Red Head!"

As a recipient of The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, O'Brien joins a who's who of American comedy that includes Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg and Kevin Hart.

The Mark Twain Prize honors individuals who've made an impact on American society in ways similar to the award's namesake, the satirist and social commentator who was born Samuel Clemens. "Conan is a master of invention and reinvention," says Deborah Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, "consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights."

A five-time Emmy Award winner, O'Brien was president of The Harvard Lampoon as an undergrad. He's written and produced for a number of television shows including Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. He's set to host the 97th Academy Awards.

In 2021, O'Brien ended his 11-year run with CONAN on TBS.

The veteran talk show host was at the center of a messy episode when, in 2010, NBC released him from his brief stint as host of The Tonight Show. O'Brien received a hefty severance but was not allowed to appear on TV for several months. In characteristic O'Brien fashion, he launched a national comedy tour called "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television."

O'Brien grew up one of six children in a big Irish family in Brookline, Mass. His father was a physician. His mother was a lawyer. Both of his parents died last December.

"I am honored to be the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot," O'Brien said in a release from The Kennedy Center.

O'Brien will receive the Mark Twain Prize at a gala at The Kennedy Center in March. The show will be broadcast on Netflix at a later date.