Eddie Vedder, Bill Murray to Honor David Letterman With Mark Twain Prize
Eddie Vedder, Bill Murray, Steve Martin and Jimmy Kimmel will be among the artists, comedians and actors on hand to pay tribute to David Letterman when the former Late Show host receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this October.
Sarah Silverman, Martin Short, John Mulaney and Letterman’s Late Show band leader Paul Shaffer will also help celebrate the late-night host at the October 22nd ceremony at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. The event will be broadcast a month later, November 20th, on PBS.
Vedder’s appearance at the ceremony comes after Letterman was a last-minute substitute to induct Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April after Neil Young canceled due to illness.
“Pearl Jam were something more than a band,” Letterman said during his induction speech. “They’re true living cultural organisms. They would recognize injustice and they would stand up for it. Whether it was human rights or the environment. Whether it was poverty. They didn’t let it wash over them. They would stand up and react. ”
As Pearl Jam noted on their site, “In addition to honoring this country’s greatest comedians, the Mark Twain Prize gala also also serves as a major fundraising event—all contributions help support the Center’s year-round educational and artistic initiatives that reach millions of students, educators, and families throughout the nation.
Previous honorees include Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, George Carlin, Richard Pryor and, most recently, Bill Murray.
Tickets for this year’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony go on sale August 9th through the Kennedy Center.