Talk about Jay Leno and you'll hear about his comic stints and unmatched skills in spreading humor and laughter among his audience.

And what better way to honor one of the country's top comedians than bestowing on him the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The comedian was awarded in a ceremony last Sunday, October 19, at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

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Together with him were past honorees and equally famous iconic comedians, including Carol Burnett, Ellen DeGeneres, Will Ferrell and Bill Cosby.

"He showed me the way of what I wanted to be - to let your inner crankiness out. That can make good comedy. Entertaining complaining is a lot of what stand-up comedy is about," fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld said of him at the red carpet.

"There's no one more deserving to get this wonderful award obviously than Jay. No one - except and I really don't want to sound bitter here - except maybe me? I mean come on," he said in front of the audience who also honored Leno.

Celebrities like Chelsea Handler and Wanda Sykes have high esteem on Leno, praising and thanking him for giving them wider exposure.

"When I first heard that Jay was getting this Mark Twain Prize tonight, which is a huge honor, I found out it was for humor, and I was a little bit confused. I wasn't sure what the connection was," Handler said.

Sykes, meanwhile, shared a story while flying to Washington.

"On the plane, I sneezed twice, and everybody gave me the stink eye. This Ebola stuff is getting a little out of hand. It's a little scary. I'm going back to just black. I'm not African anything," she said.

Garth Brooks, Kevin Eubanks, Seth Meyers, J.B. Smoove, Kristin Chenoweth and Ross Mathews also attended the event.

TagsJay Leno