Jon Stewart to receive Mark Twain lifetime award for comedy

By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian, talk show host and political influencer Jon Stewart has been named the 23rd recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Award for lifetime achievement in comedy. The 59-year-old Stewart, whose real name is Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows before taking over Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in 1999. His 16-year run as “Daily Show” host turned him into a cultural and political force as Stewart trained his satirical eye on both politics and an increasingly polarized national media. He will receive the award during a gala Kennedy Center ceremony on April 24.