Jay Leno to receive top American humour honour

Comedian Jay Leno has been tapped by the Kennedy Center to receive this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humour.

The award will be presented on October 19 at a Kennedy Center ceremony, reported Variety Online.

The comedy award, in its 17th year, will again feature a format of video clips embellished with light roasting from a parade of comics and other celebs at the concert Hall.

The talent lineup will be announced later.

"Like Mark Twain, Jay Leno has offered us a lifetime's worth of humorous commentary on American daily life," said Kennedy Center chairman David M Rubenstein.

"For both men, no one was too high or too low to escape their wit, and we are all the better for it," Center added.
 

Leno, 64, ended his 22-year run as host of NBC's 'The Tonight Show' in February. He remains one of the most active standup comedians, playing some 300-plus dates per year.