Carol Burnett received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the top humor prize, at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
The 80-year-old comedian is a trailblazing pioneer who launched her namesake variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," on television in the 1960's which held an 11-year run, bringing in 30 million viewers each week, the AP reported.
Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were all present and performed in Burnetts honor, the AP reported.
"This is very encouraging, I mean it was a long time in coming, but I understand because there are so many people funnier than I am, especially here in Washington," Burnett said during her acceptance speech, the AP reported. "With any luck, they'll soon get voted out, and I'll still have the Mark Twain prize."
Fey opened up the show with jokes about the Government shutdown and Obamacare, saying: "enough politics. We are here tonight to celebrate the first lady of American comedy, Ted Cruz," according to AP.
Fey then turned to praising Burnett for opening the doors for other women comedians.
"You mean so much to me, I love you in a way that is just shy of creepy," she said according to the AP.
Burnett, who went to UCLA to become a journalist, changed her career interest after she realized "how it felt to make people laugh," the AP reported. She took an acting class that put her on stage, and that's where she's been ever since.
"I played a hillbilly woman, and coming from Texas ... it was real easy for me, I just made my entrance, and I said, 'I'm Baaack.' Then they exploded," Burnett said, according to the AP. "I wanted those laughs to keep on coming forever."
Burnett flew to New York when she was 21-years-old and caught a break when she was invited on "The Ed Sullivan Show" to perform her rendition of "I Made a Fool of Myself over John Foster Dulles," according to the AP. After her appearance on the show, she landed a role on Broadway's "Once Upon A Mattress," and was invited on "The Garry Moore Show."
Later, CBS signed her for a 10 year contract where she would appear on various TV shows and sitcoms and would perform in one TV special a year. The contract also stated that she could start her own variety show, promising her airtime, the AP reported.
After five years into the contract, TV executives had forgotten all about it, and when Burnett brought it up, an executive told her "variety is a mans game," according to the AP.
Burnett got her show, which ran from 1967-1978 and featured guests like Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan and Betty White, the AP reported.
Burnett now joins fellow comedians and past honorees who include, Fey, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin and Ellen DeGeneres .
