Adam Sandler Announced as 2023 Recipient of Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Adam Sandler has been announced as the recipient of the 24^th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The honor will be presented to Sandler by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on March 19. Per the Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Prize was designed as a way to distinguish “individuals who have had an impacted on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens,” a.k.a. Mark Twain.

“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL,” Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said in a press release issued on Tuesday. “Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing. I am looking forward to a laughter-filled evening like no other as we celebrate his career at a ceremony that is sure to bring together the best in comedy.”

Past honorees include Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, and more.

Sandler’s 2022 has included widespread praise for his performance in the Jeremiah Zagar-directed Hustle, which follows the actor and comedian’s past acclaim for similarly against-type turns in Uncut Gems and Punch-Drunk Love. The former, of course, saw Sandler working with the filmmaking duo of Josh and Benny Safdie. Soon, fans will be blessed with a Sandler and Safdies reunion in the form of an untitled project that was recently teased on the red carpet for the Gotham Awards.