Jon Batiste leaving ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Jon Batiste, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Kenner native, is stepping away from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert after seven seasons.

Colbert said on his show Thursday night (Aug. 11) the Stay Human band leader decided to leave the show “for all the best reasons, including to continue sharing his art with the world.”

“We have 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. I love you,” he continued.

“We will truly miss Jon Batiste’s light and energy on the show and his beautiful relationship with Stephen and the band,” one user tweeted. “Looking forward to seeing his journey continue!”

The new band leader is Louis Cato, who Colbert calls a “musical genius.”

Batiste was nominated for 11 awards at the 2022 Grammy Awards, more than any other artist. He won best American roots performance for “Cry,” best American roots song for “Cry,” best music video for “Freedom,” best score soundtrack for visual media for “Soul,” and album of the year for “We Are.”

In May, Batiste was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2022.

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