The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Tuesday that Carol Burnett, 80, will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
The Mark Twain Prize is awarded annually to someone who has made substantial contribution to American humor. Burnett will be honored in a ceremony on Oct. 20 at the Kennedy Center, which will be broadcast Oct. 30 on PBS.
The gala will feature various comedy stars, according to USA Today.
In a written statement, Burnett joked, “I can’t believe I’m getting a humor prize from the Kennedy Center. It’s almost impossible to be funnier than the people in Washington.”
Burnett is known for The Carol Burnett Show, her legendary variety show which garnered 25 Emmy awards and ran from 1967 to 1978. The show is remembered for its pop-culture parodies, Burnett’s various recurring characters and its exaggerated costumes, according to the LA Times.
Since The Burnett Show, Burnett has appeared on the big- and small-screen as well as on stage, performing in Annie (1982), Mad About You, and Once Upon a Mattress.