Cosby Loses His Mark Twain Award

Bill Cosby continues to lose awards and honors following his conviction of aggravated sexual assault. Today the Kennedy Center released a statement announcing that their Board has voted to rescind Bill Cosby’s Mark Twain award. The center honored Cosby with the prestigious award in 2009. He was only the 12th person to receive the annual honor. The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is the nation’s highest comedy honor and has been awarded to Carol Burnett, Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Murray, Will Ferrel, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, George Carlin, Bob Newhart, Richard Pryor, Neil Simon, Lorne Michaels, Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters and most recently David Letterman.

The center also stripped Cosby of his Kennedy Center award for lifetime achievement in the performing arts. That award had been bestowed in 1998.

“Today the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rescind two artistic achievement awards the institution had previously bestowed upon Bill Cosby: the Kennedy Center Honors (1998) and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2009).

The Honors and Mark Twain Prize are given to artists who, through their lifetime of work, have left an indelible impact on American culture. As a result of Mr. Cosby’s recent criminal conviction, the Board concluded that his actions have overshadowed the very career accomplishments these distinctions from the Kennedy Center intend to recognize.”

Both Yale University and Temple University yanked Honorary degrees, and last week the Motion Picture Academy voted to kick Cosby out.

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