David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesA nation is in shock and mourning after twin blasts at the Boston Marathon left at least three dead and 140 wounded, two of whom remain in critical condition.
On Monday, talk-show hosts sounded off on the tragedy, as they sent well-wishes to the victims and their families while expressing deep outrage over the senseless horror.
"First, I did wanna start by mentioning what an upsetting and sad day it has been," Conan O'Brien said in his opening monologue. "Boston is my home town, it's where I grew up, and it's where my family lives. So I just wanted to take a moment to say that, like everyone here, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston and everybody who's been affected by this absolutely senseless act."
He did, however, promise to viewers to deliver on just what he's there to do—to entertain—albeit in his famously self-deprecating style.
"That said, it is our job to do a show. And we're gonna try and entertain you the very best we can," O'Brien said. "Which, given our track record, gives you people a 20 percent chance of having a good show tonight, and I think that's pretty good."
Meanwhile, Craig Ferguson took a more raw and off-the-cuff approach.
"Obviously the news of today is so horrendous that it would seem insensitive at best to say, ‘It's a great day for America,' so I won't be starting the show with that tonight," the host explained as he barely tried to conceal his outrage.
"Is anyone else sick of this s---? I seem to have to say that too often. I have to not say it's a great day for America for some random act of madness or terrorism," added Ferguson, who noted that after becoming an American citizen in 2008, Boston mayor Thomas Menino invited him to speak at Faneuil Hall, and that the city remains close to his heart.
"This is on my mind, I can't pretend it's not there," he said, before allowing a glimpse of his droll humor. "I'm not one of those people, I'm not a valuable quality entertainer."
On his show, Jimmy Kimmel described the grisly events as "disgusting" as he struggled to make sense of it all.
"Well, it was a terrible day. Very bad things happened today for no good reason, and our thoughts are with the people of Boston and everyone who is suffering as a result of the bombings at the marathon," he said.
"It's a disgusting thing. I don't understand it. But my job is to make you laugh and so I will try to do that. And I will probably fail. I'm failing already."
And in an episode set to air on Tuesday, Ellen DeGeneres closed out her show with a heartfelt message to those affected by the tragedy.
"Before we end the show today, I wanna tell everyone in Boston that we're thinking about you," she shared.
"We're watching the news and it is incredibly sad. As we're taping, we're still learning new details. And, please know that you're in our hearts. Be kind to one another."