The terrorist attack in Paris became a topic of the late night shows, with hosts declaring their solidarity with the people of France — and with the concept of humanity itself.
Stephen Colbert paid tribute to France’s great contributions to America: “Aid to Gen. Washington in our fight for independence; key intelligence on how to put potatoes in boiling oil; my favorite way of kissing; half the continent at a bargain price — no take-backs, guys!”
And most importantly, France gave us “our most enduring symbol of freedom,” the Statue of Liberty — and Stephen showed her offering ISIS a fitting gesture. Stephen then offered some additional thoughts, in praise of even the smallest, symbolic gesture to show a human connection and support.
Trevor Noah spoke in depth to praise the hospitality that people in Paris showed to each other, even as their city was gripped in terror: “I think what we should try to choose to do is not focus on the perpetrators — because every attack, whether it’s Paris, Beirut, Kenya, seems less about a specific group, and more about an attack on humanity itself. Now one thing that made me smile was, people of Paris showed us that the only way to overcome inhumanity is humanity.”
Seth Meyers spoke of support for the people of Paris — as well as for people in Beirut, in Syria, and for the refugees.
