“Saturday Night Live” cast member Cecily Strong delivered a message to Parisians in the show’s opening: “We stand with you.”
“Paris is the City of Light, and here in New York City, we know that light will never go out,” she said.
“Our love and support is with everyone there tonight. We stand with you.”
Then Strong repeated the same emotional message in French, followed by the show’s traditional opening line: “And now, live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”
The words came about 24 hours after a series of coordinated terror attacks across Paris left at least 129 people dead and hundreds more wounded.
Striking the right tone in response to tragedy is not a new phenomenon for the long-running comedy sketch show.
In 2012, in response to the horrific shooting of dozens of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, “SNL” opened with a performance of “Silent Night” by the New York City Children’s Chorus.
On the first “SNL” after the attacks on September 11, 2001, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared with members of the New York Fire Department, other first responders and “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels.
“Can we be funny?” Michaels asked.
“Why start now?” Giuliani responded to huge applause.