Jon Batiste has left The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

A major change was announced Thursday night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Band leader Jon Batiste has left the show.

Batiste has been absent from The Late Show for most of the summer. During those months, he’s made several festival appearances and concerts around the country.

At the top of Thursday’s episode of The Late Show, Colbert confirmed that Batiste would not return to the program. The musician, who recently took home five Grammys, will spend more time making music and touring.

Batiste wasn’t in the studio during the announcement. However, Colbert made it clear that the Grammy winner won’t have to wait long before he’s invited back as a guest.

Batiste was a part of The Late Show from the beginning, joining Colbert as the host’s band leader. Jon Batiste and Stay Human were a mainstay since the show premiered back in 2015.

Throughout his seven years on the show, Batiste demonstrated his incredible musical talents while also proving to be a more than capable late-night TV sidekick. He partnered with Colbert on some wildly entertainment segments, even from the earliest days of The Late Show.

Louis Cato succeeds Jon Batiste as The Late Show band leader

It wasn’t all bad news from Stephen Colbert on Thursday night. The Late Show host announced that the band behind Jon Batiste wasn’t going anywhere.

Guitarist Louis Cato was named as Jon Batiste’s replacement. Colbert introduced him as Louis Cato and The Late Show Band.

Cato should be familiar to Late Show fans. He’s filled in as the band leader and Colbert’s sidekick in the past when Batiste was off recording, touring, or winning Grammys.

The musician has also put together performances for The Late Show. Recently, he played songs from his latest album Starting Now.

What is your reaction to Jon Batiste leaving The Late Show? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.