Late Night Hosts React to Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict: 'There Is More Work to Be Done'

Georgia Slater
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Following the news that Derek Chauvin was convicted of George Floyd's murder, several late-night television hosts began their shows Tuesday by reflecting on the verdict and what it means for the nation.

Earlier in the day, jurors found the former police officer guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd last May in an act caught on viral video that fueled a national reckoning on social justice, race and police brutality.

Listen below to the episode of our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day for more on Derek Chauvin's conviction.

Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Stephen Colbert later addressed the trial's outcome, sharing that the verdict does not mean the fight for justice is over.

RELATED: Derek Chauvin Convicted of All Charges in Murder of George Floyd

"The courts did their job and justice was served. And while this is a step in the right direction, there's still a lot of work to be done," Fallon, 46, said at the top of his show.

"Too often, justice isn't served, and the need for police reform remains. We all must continue to call out injustice until things change for the better," he said.

Kimmel, 53, expressed similar sentiments in his monologue, also calling the verdict a "step in the right direction."

"I think we're all grateful that it went the way that it did. In this case, the jury made the correct decision, a unanimous decision, which is a step in the right direction," he said.

"And I hope the verdict itself brings comfort to the family of George Floyd and all those who mourn his death," Kimmel continued. "And I also want to say, 'Good luck in prison, Derek, you'll need it.' That's right. I hope you're there for a very long time."

Colbert, 56, began his show monologue and said, "After 10 hours of deliberation, a jury in Minneapolis decided that it's illegal for the police to murder people. That Black lives matter."

"It's hard to celebrate, because a man is still dead, but there is a sense of relief that at least this one injustice was not compounded with indifference. And it could easily have gone the other way," he continued. "No matter what you saw on that tape, this nation does not have a great track record on this subject. But at least in this case, this man faces accountability."

"But justice is a far more difficult goal," Colbert added. "America still has a problem of over-policing and systemic racism, but hopefully this is a step toward a future where police being held accountable for their actions isn't headline material, and a hope that accountability today is a deterrent for tomorrow."

Colbert concluded: "There is more work to be done, and it's work that all of us should be committed to, because as Ben Crump, the Floyd family lawyer, reminded us today, justice for Black America is justice for all America".

RELATED:The Nation Reacts as Derek Chauvin Is Convicted in the Murder of George Floyd: See the Photos

While Corden, 42, also expressed relief at the top of his show, he noted that "the truth is the real justice will be George Floyd being alive today."

"Real justice would be Black Americans not having to live in fear of being stopped by police and killed, and surely that is a verdict that we need to work towards, and that can be the verdict that one day we can celebrate," he said.

Splash George Floyd, at left, and Derek Chauvin

Floyd, 46, a Black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20 bill, died facedown on the ground with his hands cuffed behind him as Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee to Floyd's neck for about nine minutes.

For three weeks, the trial played out with emotional, widely-watched televised testimony. After the verdict was read, Chauvin was led away in handcuffs. Chauvin will remain in jail until his sentencing in eight weeks.

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