I want a new band, Mavis.

When Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks stepped down from his position after close to two decades, something strange happened: Every member of the band also left. It’s hard to believe that none of these people wanted to keep the late-night gig and quit en masse just because their guffawing boss decided to move on. Eubanks has no doubt earned a ton of money and had the right to go off and do whatever he wants. But why would his backing musicians leave a steady, paying gig?

On Eubanks’ last night, Leno hastily mentioned that the whole band was also leaving. No long goodbyes to them. When Leno introduced his new bandleader, Rickey Minor, on Monday, he was backed by an entirely new ensemble. Maybe Minor refused to exit his similar position at American idol and take the job if he couldn’t bring his people with him. But it seems odd that Leno, who tries to position himself as a loyal father figure and a friend of working people, would accede to such demands unless he was looking for an excuse to make a wholesale change to freshen up the show. Anyhow, it sucks for those musicians if that’s what happened. They’re obviously good at what they do and weren’t responsible for any of the show’s lameness.