SNL Opens with Emotional Paris Tribute
<p>Instead of presenting its typical cold open, <em>Saturday Night Live</em>’s Cecily Strong delivered a heartfelt message to the victims of the horrific Paris terror attack.</p>

NBC
On Friday night, Bill Maher sang a portion of the French national anthem before arguing that Western airstrikes against ISIS were responsible for provoking the brutal terror attack that left more than 120 people dead across the city of Paris.
Stephen Colbert nearly broke down in tears at the end of the Late Show after breaking news of the massacre to his audience.
Tonight, it was Saturday Night Live’s turn.
The show decided to forgo its typical cold open for a single shot of Cecily Strong on the Studio 8H stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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,” she said before delivering the message in French.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
What followed was a deliberately uplifting monologue from host Elizabeth Banks that strove to move past the heaviness of the evening.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
