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As the September 8th premiere of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert draws near, the internet is becoming increasingly saturated with teaser-esque videos of beard breakdowns, reliably tongue-in-cheek Twitter account debuts, and the arrival of the The Late Show Podcast. Of course, the internet is a better place when rife with Colbertisms — so the building anticipation isn't so much a drag as it is an honest treat to experience.
Speaking of treats, Stephen Colbert appears to enjoy quite a few of the New Orleans variety whilst introducing his future CBS audience to the new Late Show bandleader in the clip above. Playfully dubbed Colbert's "official musical friend," multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste will take the throne — with a skilled, jazz-driven background which you might recall injecting a final-season episode of The Colbert Report with a contagious joy so palpable, it seemed to almost pull Colbert out of character:
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Of course, that character will play little to no part in the new Late Show — instead making way for what will be, for many viewers, their formal introduction to the real Stephen Colbert.