Today, the Kennedy Center announced that Tina Fey will receive this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. At 40, the star of NBC's '30 Rock' will become the youngest comedian ever to receive the honor.

In her wry way, Fey deflected credit from herself, saying, in a statement, "I am truly thrilled to receive this honor. I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use."

For Fey, this is yet another prize in a career that's been marked by excellence. She's won multiple Emmys for her work on NBC's '30 Rock' and 'Saturday Night Live,' not to mention the Peabody, Golden Globe, Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild prizes.

In a relatively short career that began in 1997, Fey has distinguished herself as one of the leading comic voices of the times. She became the first female head writer on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1999, then transitioned into primetime with the Emmy-winning sitcom '30 Rock.'

It's not surprising that she's been being honored with this award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to American humor. Previous humorists who've been given the prize include Robin Williams, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Neil Simon and Lorne Michaels, among others.

Fey is only the third woman to receive the award, following in the footsteps of Whoopi Goldberg, in 2001 and Lily Tomlin, in 2003.

The ceremony will be held Tue., Nov. 9 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. There will be an all-star lineup of comedians to feat Fey and it will be taped for television broadcast.