Since being with the talk show since its debut in 2015, Jon Batiste has exited CBS‘ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the titled host announced (seen below) yesterday (August 11). The musician was the band leader for the house band Stay Human. Louis Cato, who has been a part of the band and taken over leadership duties since the summer, will take over the position permanently.
“Jon has decided to leave the show,” Stephen Colbert said. “But it’s for all the best reasons, including to continue sharing his art with the world.”
The sendoff was a small-scale announcement as Jon Batiste was not there. For fans, at least you should look forward to what’s next from him as he will have time to work on whatever solo project he must be cooking, like his next album.
Jon Batiste leaves as band leader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Congratulations to our new band leader @realLouisCato and The Late Show Band!! pic.twitter.com/seLY92jeee
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) August 12, 2022
Outside of the talk show, Jon Batiste has had a massive music career, particularly this year. Earlier in the year, at the 2022 Grammys, the musician raked in five awards out of 11 nominations, including Album of the Year for his record, We Are. He also won a Grammy and Oscar for his work on the Pixar film Soul, in which he worked with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
His Oscar win and stack of Grammys make Jon Batiste a hard person to replace. Cato has more than proven himself to take over the reins for the talk show. As a talented musician with the ability to play multiple instruments and had this leadership experience since taking over as an initial temporary gig, he will surely keep the tunes lively. As he oversees the band, they will rename themselves from Stay Human to something more fitting as they are now The Late Show Band.
