Ellen DeGeneres Honored in DC With Mark Twain Prize

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Ellen DeGeneres has received the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Monday night while at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center.

The 54-year-old was joined by her family and friends, including partner Portia de Rossi, as she became the 15th recipient of the award.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, DeGeneres updated her over 13 million Twitter followers.

"I'm excited to be winning the Mark Twain Award in DC," wrote the comedian earlier this week. "I'm gonna go get ready, as soon as I finish whitewashing this fence for Jimmy Kimmel."

The Louisiana native later joked, "Washington DC is so different from where I grew up. When you take your top off, no one throws beads."

The author and talk show host concluded her trip to the nation's capital by posting, "I had such a great time in DC!"

Past winners of the Mark Twain Prize have included comical greats such as Richard Pryor, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, and Tina Fey. Last year, Will Ferrell accepted the award.

DeGeneres has a top-rated syndicated talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" where she hosts today's biggest stars. One of her guests this week is Taylor Swift.

In addition to her talk show, DeGeneres has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. She has appeared in films including "Mr. Wrong," "EdDtv," "The Love Letter," and provided the voice of Dory in the animated film "Finding Nemo."

The Mark Twain Prize joined DeGeneres' 13 Emmys and numerous other awards for her work as well as her charitable efforts. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named the comedian a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness last year.

As DeGeneres' talk show enters its 10th season this year, the comedian is also working on a new half-hour sitcom for NBC.

The television series has not yet received an official name, nor does it have a specific plot line, but reports stat that it may focus on a 32-year-old woman who becomes afraid of her future after settling down and buying her first home.