WATCH: Saturday Night Live Delivers Powerful Response to Paris Attacks
SNL doesn’t shy away from tragedy.
New York and Paris have long been sister cities, and viewers were perhaps alert to see how New York’s venerable comedic institution would respond to Friday’s attacks. Last night, the folks at Saturday Night Live delivered a strong message of solidarity to their Parisian brethren.
Scrapping the typical cold-opening formula, SNL instead sent player Cecily Strong on stage to directly address the people of Paris: “Paris is the City of Light. And here in New York City, we know that light will never go out. Our love and support is with everyone there tonight. We stand with you.” The visibly emotional Strong kept her composure, though, and then switched gears to deliver her message in impressively idiomatic French.
After this solemn moment, Strong kicked off what was to be a typically uproarious episode with that iconic opening line: “And now, live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
The rest of the show was all laughs, but SNL is no stranger to tragedy. After the attacks of September 11, SNL invited former mayor Rudy Giuliani on stage to honor those who lost their lives and to pay tribute to the heroes of the New York Fire, Police, and Port Authority Departments.
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