Washington DC - Comedian Bill Maher has reportedly been chosen to recieve the highly coveted Mark Twain award for humor, but President Donald Trump's White House claims it's "fake news."

Last week, The Atlantic published a story reporting that Maher had won the award, but the White House responded by vehemently denying it.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Washington Post, "This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award."

But on Thursday, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where the ceremony will take place, confirmed to Politico that Maher will indeed receive the award.

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The strange back and forth comes after Trump took over the Kennedy Center last year to rid it of "woke" content, and reinstalled MAGA leadership.

The award is given to satirists that have made a lasting impact on American society. Past recipients include Dave Chappelle, John Stewart, and Conan O'Brien.

In the past, Maher was once an outspoken critic of Trump. In 2013, Trump famously sued the comedian after he challenged the politician to prove his birth was not the result of "his mother having sex with an orangutan."

But at the beginning of Trump's second term, Maher has significantly softened his criticism of Trump, urging Americans and Democrats to "give him a chance."

The ceremony will be held on June 28 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and will be recorded and later streamed for a Netflix special.