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\n\tFor seven years, Jon Batiste<\/a> watched Stephen Colbert<\/a> lead The Late Show<\/a> <\/em>night after night. The musician began serving as bandleader on the series with his house band Stay Human in 2015 and held the position through 2022. Now, Colbert is on his way out, too, following the cancellation of The Late Show<\/em>. The musician is confident that his former colleague and collaborator will land on his feet<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m very grateful to him and I think where he goes next, his voice won\u2019t be silenced,\u201d Batiste told Rolling Stone AU\/NZ<\/em> <\/a>in a recent interview. \u201cThe voice of free speech is challenge, but the soul of an individual cannot be cancelled. He\u2019s gonna find another megaphone, another outlet, I\u2019m sure of it. I\u2019m rooting for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhen CBS announced in July that the late-night talk show would conclude in May 2026<\/a>, it cited financial issues at the network as an explanation. \u201cIt is not related in any way to the show\u2019s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,\u201d CBS wrote in its statement at the time, though many have speculated that the move was related to the recent merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance.<\/p>\n \n\tThe $8 billion merger, which closed last week after over a year of delays, required approval from the Trump administration. Donald Trump celebrated<\/a> CBS\u2019 decision to axe the show, saying, \u201cI absolutely love that Colbert got fired.\u201d During a recent musical segment on The Late Show<\/em>, Weird Al Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda parodied<\/a> the CEO affair at a Coldplay concert<\/a> with an animated rendering of Trump cuddling up with the Paramount logo.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat happened to my friend Stephen is a symptom of big money,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a time where the right price can silence the voice of free speech, which we should be very, very conscious of. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n