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The former "SNL" castmate and "Funny or Die" co-creator was not be the only comedian in the house: Ed Asner ("Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Lou Grant," "Up"), Jack Black, Matthew Broderick, Adam McKay (co-founder of "Funny or Die" with Ferrell and Chris Henchy), Conan O'Brien, John C. Reilly, Paul Rudd, and former "SNL" costar Molly Shannon all spoke at the event.
The pop-punk band Green Day also performed.
The evening paid tribute to the actor, writer, and producer, 44, who rose to the top of the comedy totem pole when he first joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1995. During his 7-year regular stint on NBC, Ferrell created such memorable roles as President George W. Bush, Alex Trebek, Harray Caray, "Inside the Actors Studio" host James Lipton, Janet Reno, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, and the night club-going Steve Butabi, who went to the big screen in 1998's "A Night at the Roxbury." He also appeared in several films during this period, including "Austin Powers," "Superstar," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," and "Zoolander."
After departing "SNL" in 2002, Ferrell proved he could stand alone on the silver screen with "Old School" in 2003, followed by "Elf" the same year. He continued to be a box office success with "Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Starsky & Hutch," and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," and voiced the title character in DreamWorks Animation's "Megamind."
This is the 14th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Previous winners include Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009), and Tina Fey (2010).
The show was taped for a 90-minute special airing Halloween night next Monday, October 31, at 9 p.m. EST on PBS.
– The Hollywood Reporter
