A week after engendering mixed reactions to say the least for their Donald Trump-hosted show, Saturday Night Live responded to current world events not with comedy but with heartfelt emotion. In a break from format, last night’s show opened not with a sketch but with cast member Cecily Strong delivering a statement of “love and support” to the French people in the wake of [Friday night’s devastating terrorist attacks] (http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/paris-attacks-shootings).

“We stand with you,” Strong said, on behalf of the show and New York City itself, for which the show has often been synonymous. She then repeated the statement in French.

This isn’t the first time that Saturday Night Live has strayed from the comedy format in order to acknowledge tragedy. After the 9/11 attacks, SNL premiered their 27th season with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani and representatives from the New York police and fire departments declaring that the show would go on. In 2012, after the Sandy Hook elementary-school shooting, the December 15th show opened with a children’s choir singing “Silent Night.”