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Late night talk show host, stand-up comedian, and robustly chinned human Jay Leno will be the recipient of this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The 17th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which is presented by the Kennedy Center every year, “recognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist Samuel
Clemens, best known as Mark Twain.” In that vein, Jay Leno, who is best known as the host of The Tonight Show between 1992 and 2009 (when hosting duties were briefly given to Conan O’Brien, before Leno came back), and then again from 2010 to 2014, when Jimmy Fallon took over.

“Like Mark Twain, Jay Leno has offered us a lifetime’s worth of humorous commentary on
American daily life,” David M. Rubenstein, Kennedy Center Chairman, said in a release. “For both men, no one was too high or too low to escape their wit, and we are all the better for it.”

Last year, the Kennedy Center honored comedienne Carol Burnett with the prize, and the previous year recipients include Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Will Ferrell (2011), Tina Fey (2010), Bill Cosby (2009), and the late, great George Carlin (2008). Leno, as a recipient of the award, will receive a “copy of an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt.”

In a statement, Leno said , “What an honor! I’m a big fan of Mark Twain’s. In fact, A Tale of Two Cities is one of my favorite books!”