Acclaimed musician Jon Batiste has addressed the axing of his friend Stephen Colbert’s talk show-and hinted at the star’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.

Last month, CBS announced the show will wind up in May 2026. The premature end came just days after Colbert had called out CBS’ parent company, Paramount, for a “big fat bribe” after paying Donald Trump $16 million to facilitate a billion-dollar merge with Skydance.

“What happened to my friend Stephen is a symptom of big money,” Batiste told Rolling Stone Australia.

“I’m very grateful to him and I think where he goes next, his voice won’t be silenced. The voice of free speech is challenge, but the sou

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