Conan O'Brien calls out ‘bullies’ after receiving Mark Twain Prize

Conan O'Brien has recently called out bullies as he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour.

The late-night TV host and comedian was honoured with the prestigious award by David Letterman during a gala held at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on March 23.

After accepting the award, Conan addressed U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial shake-up of the Kennedy centre's board last month.

“Accepting an award named after Mark Twain is a responsibility. One cannot invoke Twain without understanding who he was and what he stood for,” he said.

Conan stated, “First and foremost, Twain hated bullies.”

“He populated his works with abusers, such as Huck Finn's abusive father, and he made his readers hate those characters,” continued the talk-show host.

Conan mentioned, “Mark punched up, not down and he deeply, deeply empathised with the weak.”

The comedian also noted that Mark “empathised with the powerless” in America and was “suspicious of populism, jingoism, imperialism and the money-obsessed mania of the gilded age”.

Conan reflected, “Mark was a patriot in the best sense of the word. He loved America but knew it was deeply flawed.”

“Mark wrote, 'Patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it,” remarked the 61-year-old.

Conan opened up that Mark’s works “had everything to do with comedy”.

“The comedy I have loved all my life is comedy that's self-critical, deflating and dedicated to the proposition that we are all flawed, absurd and wallowing in the mud together,” shared the comedian.

Conan added, “Mark is funny and important today because his comedy is a hilarious celebration of our fears, our ineptitude, and the glorious mess of being human.”