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Jon Stewart on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

NO LAUGHING MATTER

The big names of TV comedy have spoken out on yesterday's tragic shooting in Paris – and nobody is laughing.

As reported in Variety, comedy mainstays Jon Stewart and Conan O'Brien turned decidedly serious last night in recognition of yesterday's horrific attack at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that claimed the lives of 12 people.

On last night's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the normally affable host addressed the tragedy in his opening segment, in which he struggled for words.

"Our hearts are with the staff of Charlie Hebdo and their families tonight," said a sombre Stewart. "We know very few people who go into comedy as an act of courage."

Added Stewart: "Our goal tonight is not to make sense of this, because there is no sense to be made of it. Our goal is to keep going."

You can watch Stewart's commentary on the tragedy here.

Right around the same time on the TBS series Conan, the host kicked off his show with a sobering reminder that freedom of speech is still a privilege rather a right in some parts of the world.

"In this country, we take it for granted it's our right to poke fun at the untouchables or the sacred," said O'Brien. "But today's tragedy in Paris reminds us, very viscerally, that it's a right some people are forced to die for."

You can watch O'Brien's entire monologue on the attack here.

The tragedy in Paris was not referenced by the hosts on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman, even though both shows broadcast new episodes.

But over on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Charlie Hebdo shooting provided rich fodder for lead guest Bill Maher, who took the occasion to blast the Islamic terrorists who allegedly orchestrated the attack against the satirical magazine in retribution for mocking the Prophet Mohammed.

"I know most Muslim people would not have carried out an attack like this," said the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. "But here's the important point: Hundreds of millions of them support an attack like this. They applaud an attack like this. What they say is: 'We don't approve of violence, but you know what? When you make fun of the Prophet, all bets are off'."

Watch Maher's full interview here.

But perhaps the most moving response to the tragedy came from comedian Louis C.K., who was booked to perform a standup show last night at New York's Madison Square Garden.

According to a report from MTV News, C.K. didn't work the tragedy into his routine, but simply came out on-stage wearing a red-T-shirt on which the words "Charlie Hebdo" had been handwritten in black ink.

INSTANT REPLAY

Phylicia Rashad claims she was misquoted in her earlier comments regarding her former TV husband Bill Cosby and his accusers. On Wednesday's edition of ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, the actress contradicted several comments that she allegedly made during an interview with the website Showbiz 411 earlier this week. Among other retractions, Rashad claimed she never said, "Forget these women" in regard to Cosby's female accusers during the first interviewer. "That was a misquote," said Rashad on Wednesday. "That is not what I said. What I said is, 'This is not about the women, this is about something else. This is about the obliteration of legacy'." Added Rashad: "I am a woman. I would never say such a thing."

Source: Us Weekly

BIRTH NOTICE

Benedict Cumberbatch is going to be a father. According to Hello! Online, the Sherlock star and his fiancée Sophie Hunter are expecting their first child together. "They are both over the moon," said the statement from Cumberbatch's personal publicist. On Wednesday, a separate source told the New York Post's Page Six that Cumberbach was "delighted about becoming a father," and that the pregnancy has prompted the couple to change their plans to get married sooner than expected, "in the next few months."

Source: Hello!

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