Tina Fey Wins Mark Twain Prize

Tina Fey won the most prestigious award for American humor Tuesday night, and in her acceptance speech, she joked about how the rise of conservative women in politics is bad for lesbians.

The 30 Rock star and Saturday Night Live alum was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which recognizes a lifetime of achievement in American comedy, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Her career was turbocharged by her impression of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in 2008. She is only the third woman to win the prize, following Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin.

According to The Washinton Post, "In her acceptance speech, Fey touched on her best-known bit -- her Palin imitation -- and offered some mock hands-across-the-political-divide commentary. The rise of conservative women in politics, she said pointedly, is good for all women, "unless you don't want to pay for your own rape kit . . . unless you're a lesbian who wants to get married to your partner of 20 years . . . [or] unless you believe in evolution."

The Post reported nervous laughter heard from the audience that included House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle. Also in attendance were Betty White, and former SNL cast members including Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, and Steve Martin.

The ceremony will be broadcast on PBS stations this Sunday.