Adam Sandler, an actor-comedian who got his start on Saturday Night Live, will be honored Sunday night by the Kennedy Center with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Sandler has starred in over 30 films, grossing more than $3 billion worldwide, and has developed a reputation for his slapstick comedy and overgrown man-child characters. Some of his most popular films include Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and You Don't Mess with the Zohan. He has also had success in dramatic roles, such as in Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems.
Sandler is the seventh Saturday Night Live cast member to receive the Mark Twain Prize, joining Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Farrell, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, and Julia Louise-Dreyfus. Show creator and producer Lorne Michaels also won the award in 2004.
Sunday night's ceremony will feature testimonials and video tributes by Jennifer Aniston, Judd Apatow, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, Luis Guzmán, Tim Herlihy, Tim Meadows, Idina Menzel, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Ben Stiller. The ceremony will be broadcast nationally on CNN on March 26. The Mark Twain Prize has been awarded 24 times, with Richard Pryor being the inaugural recipient in 1998. Bill Cosby, who won the award in 2009, had his prize rescinded in 2019 due to multiple allegations of sexual assault.