Adam Sandler has been given a highly prestigious lifetime achievement award for comedy

Adam Sandler has been awarded the Mark Twain Award for American Humor, an accolade that has been dubbed as the greatest achievement a US comedian can aspire to.

Sandler has now joined the likes of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and Whoopi Goldberg and more in receiving the coveted prize for American entertainers.

Awarded by the Kennedy Center, the Mark Twain Prize is designed to recognise those who have had an 'impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain'.

According to the Kennedy Center, Clemens - or Twain - was a social commentator, satirist, and creator of characters.

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And, let's be real here, that sounds a lot like Sandler and his decades-long career.

Clemens was also a 'fearless observer of society, who startled many while delighting and informing many more with his uncompromising perspective on social injustice and personal folly', the Kennedy Center said.

Okay, that one may be a bit generous when you look at some of Sandler's past works like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but hey, it isn't up to us.

Nor is it up to those on social media, who have kicked off about the Kennedy Center's decision to hand the Billy Madison star the prize for 2023.

One user said: "Adam Sandler is good. But 'the Mark Twain Award lifetime of comedy' good? Maybe. But I have to wonder... are they running out of comedians? There had to be a better choice this year."

A second commented: "Adam Sandler is funny, creative and easy to like both personally and professionally. But, his name doesn't belong in the same sentence as Mark Twain, never mind being given an award in his name."

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Ouch.

A third person added, rather sarcastically: "Adam Sandler is receiving the Mark Twain Award. Who's presenting it to him, Rob Schneider?"

But, no matter what Twitter randoms have to say, he's still getting the award, whether they like it or not.

Too bad, so sad for them, we guess.

Prior to the ceremony, Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter sang Sandler's praises from his time on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the early 1990s to now.

"Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favourite cast member on SNL," she said in a statement.

"Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing.

"I am looking forward to a laughter-filled evening like no other as we celebrate his career at a ceremony that is sure to bring together the best in comedy."