To say that Stephen Colbert is having an interesting year is to say that outer space sure is dark. The late night staple was thrown for a loop when CBS axed The Late Show ahead of its impending 11th season,

CBS announced last month that it would not just be ending Colbert's run on the network but retiring the venerable Late Show franchise as a whole after the 2025-26 broadcast season, calling the divisive decision a "purely financial" one "against a challenging backdrop in late night."

Batiste was the bandleader and musical director of 'The Late Show' from 2015 to 2022 Jon Batiste defended former colleague Stephen Colbert amid his show's cancellation “What happened to my friend Stephen is a symptom of big money,