Conan O’Brien has made headlines in the past year with a legendary guest appearance on “Hot Ones”, a successful Oscars hosting, and his acceptance of the Mark Twain Prize for his career in comedy that has spanned over decades. Though O’Brien has carved his legacy in the irreverent and goofy, his speech at the Kennedy Center was as prescient as they come, marking his signature marriage of silliness and poignant resolve.

O’Brien’s acceptance speech at the Kennedy Center spoke of his larger comedic ethos, and still thoughtfully acknowledged the recent disruption by President Trump, who named himself chairman of the center and then ousted the very trustees that nominated O’Brien to begin with.

His speech upon receiving the coveted prize has been released on YouTube, and it gives a peek into a comedy celebration that still has the wherewithal to address the social issues present in today’s society. 

President Trump’s own supplantation of the Kennedy Center’s chairman marks one of many attempts by the second term president to tighten his grip on the nation. On March 19, Trump signed an order aiming to close the Department of Education, and has already cut core jobs to the FAA, among many other federal institutions.

O’Brien, who has written for “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) and “The Simpsons”, stayed true to his roots at the Kennedy Center by combining his oft self-deprecating comedy with his own knowledge of American history and literature, a fateful combination of interests that make the Mark Twain Prize such a good fit for the elder statesman of late night comedy.

Of the released footage, some of the most widely circulated clips have been O’Brien’s evoking of Twain.

“Twain was suspicious of populism, jingoism, imperialism, the money-obsessed mania of the Gilded Age and any expression of mindless American might or self-importance,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien pointed to the award’s namesake as his guiding principle in comedy, and told the audience that comedy’s responsibility is to punch up, not down, as well as paying empathy to the weak and vulnerable. This is a long-lived ethos for O’Brien, who–decades earlier–ended his harrowing “Tonight Show” run with a call to his fans to reject cynicism in all its forms.

“All I ask is one thing, particularly of young people. Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism; for the record it’s my least favorite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get,” said O’Brien. “But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.”

While the recent news of the Kennedy Center’s leadership has taken up headlines, the released footage of the event does speak more to comedy as a whole than completely devote itself to the political stage. The celebration is likely to include O’Brien’s peers lauding him on his decades in late night television, writing accomplishments, live musical performances, and his recent successes with his current HBO travel show, “Conan O’Brien Must Go”.

The star studded audience and lineup is impressive, but expected, considering the pedigree of past Mark Twain Prize winners. Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Will Ferrel, and Tina Fey are past winners, and can now be counted as O’Brien’s new peers in recognized comedy excellence. 

Though the honor was bestowed to O’Brien on March 23, the event itself won’t be aired on Netflix until May 4. With the airing of the whole event still to come, fans of O’Brien continue to tune into his weekly podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend”, and his HBO travel show, which has just filmed its second season.