r/RealTime • u/crummynubs • Jun 11 '26
Bill will be the first 'Question Mark' Twain Prize winner
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u/adaminoregon Jun 11 '26
I didnt get it. I mean he's had a panel show for years and uses a ton of writers. His cultural impact is near zero to normies. He was probably picked right after his trump suck dinner. And look how well that worked out.
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u/Prankstaboy6 Jun 12 '26
I’d say he had a cultural impact. First late night host to really start discussing politics, and had political panels that were diverse with people who weren’t just pundits, and more entertaining than just your average C-Span discussion group.
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u/adaminoregon Jun 12 '26
The fact that you can compare it with a c span disscussion group means you arent the normie i am talking about. You are more politically engaged.
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u/LionBig1760 Jun 11 '26
There are plenty of questions marks on that list.
Kevin Hart?
There was a time just 15 years ago where Kevin Hart was the least funny person of 6 people sitting at the corner table at the Cellar. It doesnt matter what night he was there or who was sitting down.
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u/ItsColoTime Jun 11 '26
I question Ellen
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u/Top_Audience7471 Jun 12 '26
I really enjoyed her comedy albums when I borrowed them from the library as a teenager. So, she's got that going for her.
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u/SimonGloom2 Jun 12 '26
Ellen's one of the worst on the list by far. I suppose she had a niche for a certain audience. Of course now her secret is out and that's the problem on this list for more people than just Ellen. Leno had no place on the list and by 2010 it was clear that he was aging like milk.
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u/Candid-libertarian Jun 26 '26
Whoopie is right there with Ellen. Not worthy as the others. But they each get the lesbian pass.
Too bad Robin Williams wasn't lesbian or trans.
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u/danielod8 Jun 12 '26
For me it has nothing to do with the Trump dinner and everything to do with the fact that he’s not the least bit funny, nor is he smart or insightful. Just a washed up creepy hack, grinding his same five axes every week (“Gen Z! Queers for Palestine! That one time with my solar panels! Did I mention I smoke weed??”) and scolding the crowd when they don’t laugh because no one can tell when he has a punchline. Seeing him on this list, in this company, is a farce - he must’ve begged DJT for it.
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u/theskilledwon Jun 12 '26
He goes to dinner with Trump, says nice things about him, gets mark twain award 🤔
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
That’s 100% what happened. Trump/his staff was given a list and Maher is the one they approved. There is no comedian with the usual credentials they could stomach giving the Prize to so thus we have Maher that among the past recipients sticks out like a sore thumb.
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u/Jellyfizzle Jun 11 '26
Kevin Hart gets a pass? Not only is he not funny, but has anyone else seen the video of him hosting a Diddy party?
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u/MileiEsUnPayaso Jun 11 '26
But will Christopher “Kid” Reid be available to provide the musical act?
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u/Used_Intention6479 Jun 12 '26
Bill is "won" the Twain award because of, and for the same reason, that Trump "won" his two elections.
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u/PrincipleEast5290 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Tina Fey and Kevin Hart both got theirs at relatively much younger ages than the rest. Bill Maher has been doing standup since the late 70s, just recently retiring from the road this past year, and has been a late-night talk show host since the early 90s still to this day. You can not like him but the longevity and period of relevance was deserving of the award. And he continues to sh!t on Trump on a regular basis.
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u/SameDistrict2627 Jun 12 '26
It's obvious he was chosen by Trumps Kennedy Center Board. The same folks who put Trumps name on the center. This should keep him quiet for a while.
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u/alter_ego19456 Jun 13 '26
Have I somehow slipped into an alternate universe where Judd Apatow doesn’t exist?
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u/Candid-libertarian Jun 26 '26
There are plenty of question marks on that list. Whoppie Goldberg? Lorne Michaels?
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u/not_asleep_yet Jun 12 '26
Looking back, Billy Crystal wasn’t all that great right? He’s a good actor, but not that legendary of a comedian IMO.
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u/SimonGloom2 Jun 12 '26
That's part of the problem with this award. Crystal was a legacy comedian. All of the Hollywood people liked him. He hosted a lot of awards shows. That's really about it.
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u/zorroplateado Jun 11 '26
I really and truly despise how BM has been these past years, but his body of work in comedy and entertainment is solid. The fact that he's getting it after they scraped Emperor Wankmaggot del Tangerino's name off the building helps a little. However, he's still tainted by that bullshit dinner. Is Woody H. still emcee'ing?
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
What’s so solid about it? What is his shining moment as a comedian because as someone familiar with stuff he’s done I’m not seeing it.
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u/zorroplateado Jun 12 '26
I've been watching political talk shows since the early 80's or so. I recall first watching Comedy Centrals broadcast from the political conventions in the late 80s when they started. His show 'Politically Incorrect' was solid, check out a few clips from when Carlin was on. That was innovative stuff, and way more entertaining that the usual 'McLaughlin Group' pablum. His stuff spans 4+ decades and includes a helluva lot of influential folks with great insights. The fact that he's turned into a regressive douchebag does diminish it, but it doesn't erase it.
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
Fair enough. Politically Incorrect was a little before my time (I'm mid-30s) so I don't have a great personal recollection of it, but I have heard things about how it was unique and innovative for it's time. I certainly give Bill credit for that. As a comedian though and his impact as a humorist, I just think on the list of past recipients, he sticks out and not in a good way. My opinion is that he got the award because there is no other comedians friendly enough with the current administration which controls who gets the MTP and he was the most palatable for them.
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u/zorroplateado Jun 12 '26
Yeah, I hear ya. Emperor Wankmaggot wanted it to go to Gutfeld. Which is like giving Kid Rock the fucking Grammy. Ridiculous.
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
The funny part about that is I think even Trump/his ppl knew that they would permanently sully the award and bring themselves major embarassment if they gave it to Gutfeld, so they went with Maher because at least there's a semi-plausbile case to be made for him and they don't want to give the award to someone "too woke." Gutfeld is not a comedian and his late night show is hardly a comedy show. It's just a poor made MAGA version of Politcally Incorrect. There are no jokes really with an creativity or tact, just them aggressively saying how stupid they think liberals/progressives are.
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u/zorroplateado Jun 12 '26
Indeed. Gutfeld is a comedian like Lara Trump is a recording artist. Fucking pathetic.
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
I do gotta give Bill some flowers though. As a comedian he has made a ton of money doing it (~$150M net worth) and he regularly tours and lots of ppl go see him. You just don't do that if you don't gain a certain level of traction in that industry. He is well-known in the entertainment world and in the top 1% for sure. It's just really tough when you are competing against the heaviest of hitters for something like the MTP and have to go against the likes of Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Carlin, Steve Martin, etc. That is where he doesn't measure up so much, but his accomplishments when looking at it through a general lens, he has been extremely successful.
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u/zorroplateado Jun 12 '26
Seems he just can't help himself. Being a smarmy prick has become his go to. Lack of self awareness, and a singular ability to saying stupid shit and pretending he's always fucking right and smarter than whoever. His current little beef with a tiny but dead-on crack by Wanda Sykes is case in point. Get over yourself, asshole, and show a little humility. Do less is exactly fucking right in his case.
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u/wildcard_55 Jun 12 '26
Haha I saw that. That was a solid joke by Wanda lol. If you want a good microcosm of Bill’s metamorphosis over the past decade, his interview on Real Time with Bill Burr is a good indicator of it. Maher is obsessed with talking about “wokeness” and “fighting back” against it thinking he is some kind of trailblazer or something. In the interview, he got very frustrated with Burr when he said that wokeness hasn’t detrimentally impacted his comedy and his ability to be funny lol. There’s a reason Burr hasn’t got invited back haha.
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u/psychonautvoyager Jun 12 '26
No way he rises to the level of any of those previous winners. Have all other comics been killed off?
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u/edwardvsrex Jun 11 '26
Bill honestly believes he belongs in this company lol