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Conan O'Brien is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for humor as politics roils the Kennedy Center

Conan O’Brien is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where the backstage drama of the host institution may hang over the celebration.

How that vision takes shape remains to be seen, but Trump has spoken about wanting to book more Broadway shows there and floated the idea of granting Kennedy Center Honors status to actor Sylvester Stallone and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The former Harvard Lampoon editor had spent the previous years as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” appearing on camera only as an occasional background extra in “SNL” skits. Other comedians receiving the lifetime achievement award include both Letterman and Leno, along with George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett Bill Murray and Dave Chappelle.

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