Splitsider

The death of Osama Bin Laden was one of the biggest news events of the past few years, so it was only natural that the late night comedy shows took it on in their monologues last night. But it was different than most events that get a multi-column headline on the front page of the Times; unlike 9/11 or Katrina or the Japanese earthquakes, this was actually good news. When was the last time undeniably good news was such a big deal? For some people, it was Obama's election, but this is good news for pretty much the entire country instead of just the left-leaning part of it.

There was something strange about the celebratory nature of the jokes told last night. At first I thought that it was the fact that the mood was so jovial about the violent death of a human being that made the night feel sort of off. And that very well may be part of it. But I think it's more that we're not used to our late-night comedians telling jokes that are so straight-up positive about something that happened in the news. Normally, these guys are pointing out the absurdities and injustices that we see happening in the news every day, just in a way that's funnier and more articulate than most. To see them actually lauding an event rather than picking at it or undermining it just felt strange. Not bad, but strange.

In any case, here's how Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson handled the Osama news on their shows last night.

The Daily Show

The Colbert Report

Conan

The Late Show with David Letterman

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Kimmel Live

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson