Jon Batiste, the former bandleader on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” said the now-canceled host will land in a gig where free speech will reign.
“What happened to my friend Stephen is a symptom of big money,” Batiste told Rolling Stone Australia in a video shared Monday. (Watch it below.)
“I think where he goes next, his voice won’t be silenced,” the Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician said. “The voice of free speech is challenge, but the soul of an individual cannot be canceled. He’s gonna find another megaphone, another outlet, I’m sure of it. I’m rooting for him.”
Batiste, who left the show in 2022, was likely taking shots at CBS and parent company Paramount for axing the show last month. It will go dark in May 2026 and will not return due to financial reasons, the network announced last month.
But the circumstances were fishy.
Colbert had just accused his employer of “a big fat bribe” for forking over a $16 million settlement to President Donald Trump that appeared to grease the skids for Paramount’s eventual merger with Skydance Media. The merger required the Trump administration’s approval. Moreover, Colbert has been an outspoken thorn in Trump’s side over his political career.
Batiste, however, wasn’t celebrating.
“We’re in a time where the right price can silence the voice of free speech, which we should be very, very conscious of,” he said. “As artists, we have to constantly fight for free speech and fight for the ability to be able to share the authentic truth of our being.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land ’
