In a somber and powerful opening monologue on Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert, the host of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, began his show by expressing his deep sadness and frustration in response to the shocking shooting at the Republican primary rally in Arizona.

“Good evening, I’m Stephen Colbert,” he began, his voice laced with emotion. “And welcome to The Late Show. I want to start by saying that I’m feeling a lot of grief tonight. And not just because I’ve had a long day of rehearsing a song and dance number with the talented Tariq Trotter. No, it’s more than that. I’m feeling grief for my beautiful country, which it seems like we can’t seem to stop shooting each other.”

Colbert’s words were met with a moment of stunned silence from the audience, followed by a thunderous applause. Throughout his monologue, the usually irreverent comedian struggled to contain his emotions, his voice cracking with despair as he addressed the tragedy.

“I know that last night, a man was gunned down in the name of politics,” he said. “And I know that in this country, we’ve become so used to this kind of senseless violence that it’s become almost routine. But I refuse to accept it as such. We’re better than this, America. We’re better than this.”

Colbert’s commentary was a stark departure from the usual humor and wit that audiences have come to expect from his show. However, it was clear that the host was unafraid to speak truth to power and to address the nation’s crisis of violence and division.

“We need to be better than this, folks,” he continued. “We need to be better than the politicians who are fueling this hatred and fear. We need to be better than the media outlets that are perpetuating it. We need to be better than the people who are allowing it to happen.”

As the monologue came to a close, Colbert thanked his audience for their understanding and support, and for joining him in expressing their grief for their country.

“Thank you for being here, folks,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And thank you for being here, America. We need to do better. We need to be better. We can do better.”

The outpouring of support from the audience and the audience’s response to Colbert’s emotional plea sent a powerful message to the nation: that Americans are not going to stand idly by while their country is torn apart by violence and hate. And as the curtain closed on The Late Show, it was clear that Stephen Colbert was back to being the voice of reason and hope in the face of chaos.