Julia Louis-Dreyfus to receive Mark Twain Prize for American humor at the Kennedy Center
"Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center this fall. Louis-Dreyfus is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious award; last year, David Letterman received the award, and Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey and other comedy luminaries have won it in past years.
The "Seinfeld" and "New Adventures of Old Christine" vet wrote on Twitter that the honor is "insanely exciting." She also retweeted a GIF from "Veep" in which her character says, "I will destroy you in ways that are so creative they will honor me for it at the Kennedy Center." She wrote, "Cool gif!"
Deborah F. Rutter, the president of the Kennedy Center, said in a statement, "Like Mark Twain, Julia has enriched American culture with her iconic, unforgettable, and outright hilarious brand of humor. Over four decades, her wildly original characters and her gift for physical comedy have left us in stitches."
Louis-Dreyfus added in the statement, "Merely to join the list of distinguished recipients of this award would be honor enough, but, as a student of both American history and literature, the fact that Mr. Twain himself will be presenting the award to me in person is particularly gratifying."
Louis-Dreyfus has been recovering from breast cancer surgery since February. She revealed her diagnosis last fall.
