Malcolm Owen
"The Problem with Jon Stewart" wasn't cancelled because of what the host said, but what he could have said on Apple TV+ in the future, had the show continued.
Apple canceled "The Problem with John Stewart" in October 2023 after a strong two-season run and multiple Emmy nominations. At the time, it was believed that there were disagreements over topics for the third season.
In an interview the morning of his reappearance behind the desk at Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Stewart talked to CBS Mornings about the upcoming show among other topics. However, he did touch upon the ending of his show on Apple TV+.
Without directly confirming the reason for the cancellation, Stewart steered clear of rumors. He did say Apple "didn't want me to say things that might get me in trouble."
While the separation was reportedly amicable, the cancellation was rumored at the time to be caused by a disagreement between Stewart and Apple over topics for the third season. Topic suggestions that allegedly caused Apple concern included artificial intelligence and China.
The show had previously covered controversial areas, such as racism and climate change. At one point, Stewart even criticized Apple directly on the show itself.
It was unclear exactly why Apple wasn't supposedly happy about the topics, due to what had previously been broadcast on Apple TV+.
The cancellation and the rumors also led to a House of Representatives Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party demanding Apple to justify the decision. Specifically, the committee wanted an answer on if China had undue influence on Apple and the programming. It's not clear how that worked out, or if Apple ever responded formally.
Stewart says his return to "The Daily Show" is because he needed a "place to unload thoughts as we get into this election season."
"I thought I was going to do it over at — they call it Apple TV+. It's a television enclave, very small. It's like living in Malibu," Stewart added.
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49 Comments
Perhaps the show didn’t meet its viewing targets?
It isn’t as though Stewart would admit that, and Apple will say nothing. It is most likely the wrong kind of platform for such a show. At least at this time.
I don’t find the China and/or AI pitches rumor convincing. Cancellation over segments like that would not have been amicable, as such stories would be journalism. I believe Stewart is hinting at the real problem when he mentions the “election season” — this cancellation was about US political commentary. Stewart is not going to sit this one out. He made that mistake eight years ago, and he’s not going to repeat it. He’s not alone.
Apple, understandably, did not sign up for that.
I watched an episode of his Apple TV show and I thought it would have been better if it were either more straight up serious or more comedic. But it was in a strange in between where the attempts at humor felt discordant with the serious parts.
I like Apple and I like Jon Stewart. I thought the show was only OK. There were some really good segments, but I think overall it was underdeveloped. I felt that the editing was often "rushed" and sometimes awkward, presumably to get the episode to fit into the 1hr time slot. I would have liked to see them explore some of the subject matter a little more deeply, but at the same time I get that something longer would probably be a non-starter for most people.