WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - Conan O'Brien takes

home the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday but the

spotlight will be as much on the Kennedy Center, where he will

be accepting the prize, as the Emmy-winning comedian himself.

O'Brien, who joins a long list of high-profile humorists who

have received the award, will be celebrated at an evening show

with tributes and jokes by a slew of comic greats that will be

broadcast at a later date on Netflix ( NFLX ).

The show is the first signature event at the Kennedy Center

since its takeover by President Donald Trump, who last month

announced he would become chairman of the institution, pushing

out billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.

Trump dismissed board members appointed by former President

Joe Biden and installed officials loyal to him. He handed

leadership reins for the facility to Richard Grenell, a close

Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany who is serving as

envoy for special missions in the current administration.

The new board, which includes White House chief of staff

Susie Wiles and Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance,

fired its former president, Deborah Rutter. Trump visited the

center last week and declared it in "tremendous disrepair."

Along with the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, the

Mark Twain Prize is one of the premier events at the renowned

arts institution, complete with red carpet arrivals for its

performers and stars.

Trump is not slated to attend the event on Sunday and did

not attend any of the Honors performances during his first term.

But his presence is likely to loom over the evening.

O'Brien hosted the Oscars earlier this month and is slated

to come back in the emcee role next year. He was the host of

"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Conan

O'Brien" on NBC and "Conan" on TBS. He is a former writer for

"Saturday Night Live."

Previous winners of the Mark Twain Prize include Kevin Hart,

Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Carol

Burnett.