These are the full remarks made by Conan O’Brien upon receiving the 2025 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, March 23, 2025. The award is given annually to comedians whose work has had a profound impact on the public and popular culture.

O’Brien accepted the award for lifetime achievement in comedy Sunday night while acknowledging the backstage turmoil that hangs over the future of the cultural center in Washington.

In accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the comedian mounted a bristling political attack artfully disguised as a tribute.