Jay Leno.
Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images
Jay Leno will be the 17th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, following Carol Burnett, who won it last year, and Tina Fey, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, and many great comedians who have won it in the past. “Like Mark Twain, Jay Leno has offered us a lifetime’s worth of humorous commentary on American daily life,†said Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein. On October 19, Leno will receive the honor at a gala held at the Kennedy Center. It will air on PBS on November 23. Expect car jokes.