Jon Stewart is known for being funny, but on Wednesday night the "Daily Show" host was solemn as he took a moment to address the killings at Charlie Hebdo.
"Our hearts are with the staff of Charlie Hebdo and their families," Stewart said to open the show. "I know very few people go into comedy as an act of courage ... but those guys at Hebdo had it and they were killed for their cartoons."
Stewart seemed shaken by the shooting, but attempted to move forward.
"Our goal tonight is not to make sense of this, because there is no sense to be made of this," he said. "Our goal, as it is always, is to keep going."
Stewart then lightened the mood, telling the audience to "keep calm and carry on or whatever version of that saying is in your dorm room."
Related: Media outlets shy away or take a stand on cartoons
Stewart wasn't the only late night host on Wednesday that spoke out against the killings in Paris.
During his opening monologue, Conan O'Brien said the attack "really hit home" for anyone who mocks political, social or religious figures on a daily basis.
"In this country we just take it for granted that it's our right to poke fun at the untouchable," O'Brien said. "But today's tragedy in Paris reminds us very viscerally that it's a right some people are inexplicably forced to die for."
Like Stewart and O'Brien, another of America's satirical institutions, The Onion, addressed the events of the day in its article, "It Sadly Unclear Whether This Article Will Put Lives At Risk" with a mix of sadness and wit.
"Although the consequences of this article are reportedly still unclear ... the best thing to do -- really the only thing to do -- is to simply put it out there and just hope that it does some good," the Onion wrote.
