Conan O'Brien on Charlie Hebdo attack: You shouldn't have to 'think twice before making a joke'

Conan O&#039;Brien on Charlie Hebdo attack: You shouldn&#039;t have to &#039;think twice before making a joke&#039;

(Image credit: YouTube.com/TeamCoco)

last updated 10 January 2015

On Wednesday night, Conan O'Brien started his show by addressing the Charlie Hebdo attack, saying it "really hits home for anyone who, day in and day out, mocks political, social, and religious figures."

O'Brien continued, "In this country, we just take it for granted that it's our right to poke fun at the untouchable or the sacred, but today's tragedy in Paris reminds us very viscerally that it's a right some people are inexplicably forced to die for." He expressed condolences from his staff to the victims' families and everyone in France, as well as "anyone in the world tonight who now has to think twice before making a joke. It's not the way it's supposed to be." Watch his full statement below. --Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.