Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was a ceremony presented on October 27, 2019. The show honored comedian Dave Chappelle who was being awarded with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor which was presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.[1][2] Those who helped celebrate his accomplishments included Neal Brennan, Jon Stewart, Lorne Michaels, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman, Bradley Cooper, and Morgan Freeman.
| Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor | |
|---|---|
| Genre | variety special |
| Directed by | Chris Robinson |
| Starring | Dave Chappelle Aziz Ansari Neal Brennan Michael Che Bradley Cooper Morgan Freeman Tiffany Haddish Colin Jost Lorne Michaels Eddie Murphy Jon Stewart Sarah Silverman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Michael B. Matuza Chris Robinson Matthew Winer |
| Editors | Jon Alloway Steven Bognar Chester Contaoi Brian Forbes Brad Gilson Pi Ware |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | October 27, 2019 |
The event was filmed and shown on PBS as well as the streaming service Netflix in 2020. The broadcast of the ceremony was unique, because footage of the ceremony was interspersed with footage of Chappelle performing standup in various comedy clubs. The special earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety Special and Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming.
Summary
editIn order of appearance:
Musical guests
editReception
editThe New York Times critic praised the show writing but added "The ceremony did little to explain the breaking point in Mr. Chappelle’s career and life. In highlight reels of Mr. Chappelle’s comedy, there was often at least a decade-long gap between jokes or scenes, highlighting his older, more challenging, more thrilling skit-based humor against his more recent and uneventful stand-up comedy."[3] USA Today gave a mixed review to the special declaring, "Chappelle’s punchlines don’t hit without controversy," specifically pointing out his defense of Louis C.K., downplaying of the allegations against Michael Jackson, and his comments regarding the Trans community.[4]
Release
editThe program was broadcast on PBS stations on Tuesday, January 7, 2020. It was also released on Netflix later in 2020.
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Special | Rick Austin, Dalton Delan, David Jammy, Deborah F. Rutter, Kristen Wong, Chris Convy, Chris Robinson, Michael B. Matuza, Matthew Winer |
Nominated | [5] |
| Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming | Brad Gilson, Chester G Contaoi, Jon Alloway, Pi Ware, Brian Forbes | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "2019 Winner The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor". The Kennedy Center Honors. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "'The Best Part Of The First Amendment': Dave Chappelle Accepts Mark Twain Prize". NPR. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Weiland, Noah (28 October 2019). "Dave Chappelle, Subversive and Charming, Wins Mark Twain Prize for Comedy". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Dave Chappelle defends humor, reflects on 'terrifying' comeback in Mark Twain special". USA Today. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor". Emmy Awards. Retrieved June 23, 2022.