Jon Batiste Voices Support for Stephen Colbert After Cancellation

August 16, 2025 505 63 4

Jon Batiste is speaking out in support of Stephen Colbert. It was announced in July that Colbert’s Late Show stint is coming to an end next year after CBS abruptly canceled the late-night mainstay that has been on the air for 33 years. Batiste, who led the Late Show house band from 2015 to 2022, shared his thoughts in a new interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, calling the controversy an attack on free speech.

“We’re in a time where the right price can silence the voice of free speech, which we should be very, very conscious of,” said Batiste. “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.”

When announcing the cancellation, CBS cited budgetary reasons for pulling the plug on the long-running talk show. But there’s been widespread speculation that it was possibly motivated by Colbert’s on-air criticisms of President Donald Trump. In particular, Colbert had been critical of CBS’ decision to settle a lawsuit filed by the President over a Kamala Harris 60 Minutes interview. According to Deadline, the timing of the decision to kill the show came just days after Colbert had accused the company of taking a “big fat bribe.”

Colbert’s fellow talking head and former colleague on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, ripped the network.

“Shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid — this is not a ‘We speak truth to power.’ We don’t,” Stewart said in July. “We speak opinions to television cameras. But we try. We f—— try, every night.”

The Late Show began as The Late Show With David Letterman in 1993. Colbert took over the Late Show mantle after David Letterman’s retirement in 2015 after Colbert’s stint hosting his own satirical talk show The Colbert Report from 2005 to 2014.

Batiste talked about his time with Colbert.

“It meant so much to be on national television and learning the ropes of being on a nightly show with a band, and really being on camera and doing that for seven years. And to evolve as an artist in partnership with him,” said the Grammy winner. “I’m very grateful to him and I think where he goes next, his voice won’t be silenced.”