“Saturday Night Live” returned without a cold open after a nearly month-long hiatus. Instead of a lighthearted comedic sketch, the NBC variety show decided to pay a moving homage to Ukraine.
Russia launched an unprecedented military assault on the nation earlier this week, prompting the homage. The invasion resulted in carnage and prompted over 120,000 people to evacuate the country, and it was denounced by many countries throughout the world.
Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong took center stage at Studio 8H to present the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York to the audience.
As the live audience sat silently, the choir sang “Prayer for Ukraine.”
Returning to the stage, McKinnon and Strong uttered the show’s iconic catchphrase, “Live… From New York. It’s Saturday night.”
The camera shifted to candles on a table in front of McKinnon and Strong, rather than immediately going to the show’s opening titles.
The candles were arranged to spell out “Kyiv,” the capital of Ukraine.
“Prayer for Ukraine” performed by Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York pic.twitter.com/5pi2l1Olpx
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 27, 2022