O'Brien, 61, was named the 26th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize in mid-January, about three weeks before President Trump upended the Kennedy Center by ousting longtime president Deborah Rutter and board chairman David Rubenstein. Mr. Trump dismissed the board of trustees and replaced them with loyalists, who then elected him as chairman.

After expressing dissatisfaction with the Kennedy Center's presentations and installing loyalists on its board who elected him chairman, President Trump is moving to give himself more control over the selection of the artists to be honored in its televised awards gala—an event he boycotted during his first term.