'Saturday Night Live' Opens Show With Powerful Tribute to Ukraine
The show decided to forgo a cold open sketch in favor of a moving and somber choir performance.
Konoly
By Zach Seemayer 8:55 PM PST, February 26, 2022
Saturday Night Live returned for their first show of the month and their first show since Russia launched a full-scale assault on Ukraine.
Needing to address the tragedy before the night could begin, the show decided to forgo the usual cold-open sketch in favor of a moving choir performance paying tribute to the people of Ukraine.
The show tapped the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York to take to the iconic Studio 8H stage, behind a platform covered in candles spelling out "Kyiv," the capital city of Ukraine. Together, the choir sang a powerful rendition of "Prayer for Ukraine."
“Prayer for Ukraine” performed by Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York pic.twitter.com/5pi2l1Olpx
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) February 27, 2022After the performance, castmemebrs Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon -- who have both been tasked in the past with opening somber episodes following national tragedies -- walked out to deliver the show's traditional start-line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night."
Saturday Night Live airs live, coast-to-coast, at 11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
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