The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the highest comedy accolade in the US, has been awarded to actor Will Ferrell.
At the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington DC, Ferrell, known for his impersonation of George W. Bush on the sketch show Saturday Night Live, received the honor.
He humorously mentioned he had declined this award 13 times prior.
During the ceremony, stars like Conan O’Brien, Jack Black, and Ben Stiller came together to pay their respects to Ferrell. The event is set to be broadcast in the US at the end of October.
In a moment of comedy, when presented with the bronze bust of Twain, Ferrell accidentally dropped it, attempting to gather the pieces afterward.
The star of Anchorman and Zoolander, who also co-founded the comedy website Funny Or Die, shared that he chose to accept the award so he could be viewed on PBS “by hundreds of people across the country”.
The show opened with Jack Black performing a musical number, creatively altering the lyrics of Queen’s We Will Rock You to: “Will will, Will will, rock you.”
Black further honored Ferrell by describing him as “crazy funny – he makes you laugh so hard you cry and pee simultaneously.”
The Mark Twain Prize has previously recognized talents like Tina Fey, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Richard Pryor.
