Late-night hosts react to the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings

The Hollywood Reporter

"These are the hardest nights to do a show like this," a somber Jimmy Fallon said in opening Monday's Tonight Show while standing in front of his audience to address the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings. "It's tough to know what to say after something like this," Fallon added. "There are no words that can make it easier. All we can say is that the victims and their families and everyone in Dayton and El Paso are in our hearts tonight. And to anyone whose background has made them a target of prejudice or hate or violence, or anyone who feels that they may not be welcome in this country, know that you are welcome. We support you and we love you and the cycle of hate needs to stop...No matter what side of the political coin you land on, we all agree this is happening too much it has to stop." In his monologue, Jimmy Kimmel said: "Both parties say we are too divided. This is something we hear a lot. That we need to find something we can agree on. Well, here's something we agree on. Too many people are being shot — with high-powered weapons. I think we can agree on that." Meanwhile, Trevor Noah argued on The Daily Show: "You only want people who respect the gun to own a gun. You want to make it as hard as possible. That's all it is." On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert said the mass shooting epidemic reminded him of HBO's Chernobyl. “Over and over again in it, a scientist or engineer will tell a politician, ‘Hey, we’ve got a real problem here. The nuclear core is going to melt down and kill everyone,’” Colbert explained. “But the politicians refuse to believe it because any acknowledgment of failure threatens their position of power, and their power is more important than saving lives.” In his Late Night "A Closer Look" segment, Seth Meyers urged the GOP to "f*cking do something." "All decent people, everywhere, should set themselves to the task of stopping this and expressing solidarity with and support for the oppressed and marginalized communities targeted by this hatred and violence,” said Meyers. “And as for our political leaders, the ones who are supposed to be protecting us, all we say is they need to”—in the words of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)—"get their sh*t together.”