Acclaimed musician Jon Batiste has addressed the axing of Stephen Colbert’s talk show—and hinted at his friend’s next move. Batiste, a Grammy and Oscar winner himself, was bandleader and musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from its beginning in 2015 until 2022.

During a July 17 taping, Colbert announced the cancellation of The Late Show. Colbert, who took over from David Letterman as host in September 2015, said he was "grateful" for being given a chair and a "beautiful theater to call home," as well as his viewers from "all around the world."

"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.