Bill Maher honored in D.C. with Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Bill Maher.

Longtime comedian Bill Maher was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening, where he was feted by fellow comedians like Jay Leno, Louis C.K. and Whitney Cummings. Pundit Stephen A. Smith hosted the event and many of Maher's other contemporaries, like Dave Rubin, were on hand to celebrate.

Maher, 70, is the host of HBO's Real Time, has performed many standup comedy specials over the year and founded and hosted the show Politically Incorrect, which aired for nearly a decade on Comedy Central and, later, ABC between 1993 and 2002 when the show was abruptly canceled over controversial comments Maher made about the September 11 attacks. Maher has also been nominated for dozens of Emmy Awards over the years, but has come up short on winning himself, a point he touched on during his remarks.

“If I had to choose between the 41 Emmys I’ve lost and the type of fans I have … it’s the fans every time,” Maher told the audience. “People said they want honesty. They don’t ... They said they want to be challenged. They don’t. Except for my audience. They love it. And I love them for it.”

“This really does mean a lot to me,” Maher said of the honor. “Believe me, when they called and said, ‘Would you accept this?’ they did not have to ask twice," he added, saying his acceptance speech would primarily be made up of thanking others.

Reflecting on his decades-long career, Maher said, “If you hang around long enough and create something important enough, everyone hates you at some point." He also praised the comedians who inspired and influenced his career, and gave a shout out to the fictional character that he said is his true role model.

“But you know who my real role model is? Toto. Yes, that one,” Maher said of Dorothy’s dog in The Wizard of Oz. “Because he pulls back the curtain and exposes anyone who is a phony.” Maher is the 27th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Below, watch a clip of him speaking on the read carpet about an hour before receiving the award.