It was hard for the comedians to make America laugh after the senseless slaughter of 49 people early Sunday morning.
The late night comics put jokes aside and spoke from the heart Monday night following the Orlando massacre.
Read: Anderson Cooper Fights Back Tears During Orlando Report
A serious and emotional Stephen Colbert addressed the audience from his desk, instead of his usual standup routine.
The Late Show host said: “I don't know what to do, but I know despair is a victory for hate. Hate wants us to be too weak to change anything. These people in Orlando were apparently targeted because of who they love. And there have been outpourings of love across the country and throughout the world. Love in response to hate.
“Love does not despair. Love makes us strong,” he declared. “Love your country, love your family. Love the families of the victims of the people of Orlando. But let's remember love is a verb and to love means to do something.”
Read: A Rainbow Across the World As Mourners, Monuments Pay Tribute to Orlando Shooting Victims
Conan O’Brien’s serious tone became a platform for his stance on gun control.
“I am a father of two; I’d like to believe I have a shred of common sense. I do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semi-automatic assault rifle; it makes no sense to me. These are weapons of war and they have no place in civilian life,” the host emotionally said as he held back tears.
His sidekick, Andy Richter agreed with the host, tweeting: “Proud of my boss.”
Since working full time in America after taking over The Daily Show from Jon Stewart in September, South African comic Trevor Noah is still trying to wrap his head around America’s mass shootings.
“I wonder if President Obama ever thought that mass shooting speeches would be such a big part of his job. Because you know at this point he's hosted 12 state dinners, but he's had to give 16 mass shooting addresses,” he said.
He added: “We shouldn't allow this to be normal.”
Samantha Bee, host of TBS’ Full Frontal expressed outrage at the NRA.
“After a massacre, the standard procedure is you stand on a stage and deliver some well-meaning words about how we will get through this together, how love wins, how love conquers hate," she said. "And that is great. That is beautiful, but you know what? F*** it. I am too angry for that. Love does not win unless we start loving each other enough to fix our f***ing problems."
She then displayed the backstory of the Orlando shooter and how easy it was for him to buy a gun.
Bee then went into other countries gun laws and why American can’t seem to adopt the same legislation.
She asked: “Can’t we just get assault rifles out of the hands of civilians?”
Jimmy Fallon started The Tonight Show also on a serious note.
He said: “This was just one bad guy here 49 good people. And one bad guy. And there will always be more good than evil. When I think of Orlando, I think of fun and joy and families. If anyone can do it you can. Keep loving each other, keep respecting each other and keep on dancing.”
Fallon’s NBC colleague Seth Meyers started Late Night confused by Sunday night’s tragic events.
"So much, though, of the news right now is dominated by the horrific events in Orlando, the attack on the LGBTQ community there. And so, we decided we would try to address that and, in addressing it, maybe help us all process it a little bit more, because I don't know if we can ever fully understand it,” he said.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Larry Wilmore opened Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show bashing Donald Trump.
“When the news broke, the people of this nation were unified in a selfless outpouring of support for the victims and their families. Well, it was selfless except for one person,” he said, before cueing up a clip of Trump's first tweet, where the GOP frontrunner said: ‘Congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism,’” he said.
Wilmore added: "Yeah, Donald, you were really ahead of the curve on the whole, ‘terrorism is bad’ thing. I mean, honestly, who brags about this? It’s like your doctor saying, 'Yo, dude, I totally called it, you do have cancer.'"
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