Carol Burnett is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, reports The Washington Post. Burnett, who is best known for the variety show “The Carol Burnett Show,” is the first woman to receive both the Mark Twain Prize and the Kennedy Center Honors, according to The Post. “The Carol Burnett Show” pulled in 25 Emmy awards and averaged tens of millions of viewers per week during its 11-year run. The awards ceremony will take place on October 20.

Upon hearing that she would be given an award in Washington for her work as a comedian, Burnett said in a statement that she was caught off guard because it’s nearly “impossible to be funnier than the people in Washington.”

According to Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein, Burnett has made generations of Americans laugh with her dynamic wit and funny characters.

Burnett will get a copy of an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain created by Karl Gerhardt.

According to the Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is awarded to a comedian who has had an influence on society that mirrors the impact that Mark Twain had on his. Samuel Clemens once said that “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand,” and he used humor to offer his perspective on social injustice.

AceShowbiz notes that Burnett started her career entertaining in NY cabarets and night clubs in the late 1950s. She made her TV debut on “The Garry Moore Show.”

Past recipients of this honor include a variety of TV and movie personalities:

2012 – Ellen DeGeneres

2011 – Will Ferrell

2010 – Tina Fey

2009 – Bill Cosby

2008 – George Carlin

2007 – Billy Crystal

2006 – Neil Simon

2005 – Steve Martin

2004 – Lorne Michaels

2003 – Lily Tomlin

2002 – Bob Newhart

2001 – Whoopi Goldberg

2000 – Carl Reiner

1999 – Jonathan Winters

1998 – Richard Pryor

Does Burnett deserve to win this award? Did you watch the long-running TV variety show “The Carol Burnett Show?” What is your favorite memory from that show? Do the other comedians on this list deserve to have won the Mark Twain Prize? Share your thoughts in the comments section.