Saturday Night Live Opens Show By Delivering Personal Message To Paris After Attacks
By: Saturday Night Live didn’t something very different over the weekend by skipping its usual opening and delivering a message of support to Paris after Friday’s attacks. Given the tragic events that occurred in Paris just 30 hours earlier, they opted to open with a show of solidarity to France, according to CNN.
“Paris is the city of light, and here in New York City, we know that light will never go out,” Cecily Strong told the Saturday Night Live audience. “Our love and support is with everyone there tonight. We stand with you.” Strong then delivered the show’s message again, this time in French.
The actress Elizabeth Banks hosted the show Saturday night, and the band Disclosure provided the music with guest spots from Sam Smith and Lorde.
Saturday Night Live notably skipped its cold open after the 9/11 attacks in New York City. The show instead presented Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani with a group of emergency workers and a performance by Paul Simon.
Over 120 people were killed and over 350 people were injured in Friday’s terror attacks on Paris, with many of the victims from an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the city’s Bataclan venue. ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the attacks, which also claimed the life of Eagles of Death Metal merchandise manager Nick Alexander.
Strong ended the powerful, unique cold open by then announcing, “And now, live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”
We stand with you, Paris.
https://t.co/hqUX4oqWMj
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 15, 2021
NBC’s sketch show has struck the right chord time and again after tragedy has struck. In December 2012 following the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a children’s choir opened the show by singing “Silent Night.”
Despite its sobering start, the show did provide plenty of laughs on Saturday Night Live, including one hilarious skit about a young Ben Carson that recreated memorable moments in the Republican candidate’s political life.
