O'Brien, 61, was named the 26th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize in mid-January, about three weeks before President Trump upended the Kennedy Center by ousting longtime president Deborah Rutter and board chairman David Rubenstein. Mr. Trump dismissed the board of trustees and replaced them with loyalists, who then elected him as chairman.

The star-studded Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony was the most notable event at the Washington arts center since the president installed himself as its chairman.

Some of America’s best-known comedians praised the famously apolitical late-night host — and had some choice words for the Kennedy Center’s new chairman.