Jon Batiste has bid The Late Show farewell.
Host Stephen Colbert announced that the musician has departed his gig as the show’s bandleader after seven seasons. Jon, who has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and five Grammys during his tenure on the show, will now be pursuing personal and professional interests.
During Thursday’s (August 11) episode, Stephen said:
“We’ve been so lucky to have a front row seat to Jon’s incredible talent for the past seven years. And will we miss him here? Yeaaa!
But we’re happy for you, Jon, and I can’t wait to have you back on as guest with your next hit record.”
Stephen also announced the new Late Show bandleader: Louis Cato! Louis has served as interim bandleader this summer, and will now become the new permanent bandleader for the show’s upcoming eighth season premiering on September 6. Stephen said of Louis:
“Louis has done a great job this summer, and he is very humble, so he won’t say this. But I will. He’s a musical genius. He can play basically every instrument over there. Give him an afternoon, he’ll learn how to play Mozart on a shoehorn.”
Louis also spoke about his new gig, saying:
“It has been one of the great honors of my life to work on this show, alongside some of the most talented musicians and creatives I know.
Watching and learning from both Jon and Stephen for these past seven years, I’m genuinely excited to continue the tradition of excellence they’ve established.”
