Monday, June 8, 2026

“Canceled” Comic Louis CK Will Be Among Guests for Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize Event at Kennedy Center, Now Without Trump Name

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Good news: Donald Trump’s name has been pried off the Kennedy Center. It’s not on the building or website per a court order.

The bad news: because Trump was shutting the Center down for two years beginning July 7th, they have bookings beyond that date. No musicals, no National Symphony Orchestra. The opera company has already left.

The biggest remaining event is the Mark Twain Prize taping set for June 28th. Bill Maher is the recipient.

Among his guests will be canceled comic Louis CK. Louis CK became a pariah after many women accused him of sexual malfeasance. But it’s no surprise he’s a pal of Maher. Thirty five years ago, Maher told Entertainment Weekly he pleasured himself before each taping of “Politically Incorrect.”

That’s what we’re dealing with.

Other guests include John Mellencamp, Jay Leno, and Whitney Cummings.

Last year’s Mark Twain Prize show for Conan O’Brien was full of comics who eviscerated Donald Trump. But this year should be tame in that regard. Leno is a moderate Republican. He won’t say a word against Trump. Cummings might. Mellencamp is a question mark.

Another guest is Stephen A. Smith, one of the few celebrities I actually loathe. He goes back and forth criticizing and defending Trump.

It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, frankly.

Netflix will the show a couple of weeks after the taping.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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