William Gallagher
After originally claims that his split with Apple TV+ was amicable, Jon Stewart has now revealed that the company blocked topics and even guests he wanted to cover on "The Problem with Jon Stewart."
Jon Stewart said very little when Apple TV+ cancelled "The Problem with Jon Stewart" in October 2023, and it wasn't until February 2024 that he mentioned anything. At that point, he said the show had been dropped in part because Apple "didn't want me to say things that might get me in trouble."
Now he has called out Apple for specifically blocking two elements that he had wanted to do on his series and on its companion podcast. He did so while interviewing FTC chair Lina Khan on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, in an episode that began with a skit about AI.
"I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it," he told her. "They literally said, 'Please don't talk to her.'"
"They wouldn't let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI," he continued. "Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?"
His question came in an interview with Khan about the FTC and its role in combating anti-trust measures by large corporations working either alone or in concert. "I think it just shows the danger of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision making in a small number of companies," she said.
At the time of cancellation, it had been rumored that AI and China were the topics that Apple had been concerned about. While Apple did not confirm, the rumors led to a led to a House of Representatives Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party demanding Apple to justify the cancellation.
Five months on, it's still not clear whether Apple responded to the demand.
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31 Comments
I was such a big fan of his, but it’s sad to see what he’s become. I feel like he got starred for attention during his absence and now just saying/doing anything to get in a spotlight.
Apple is known to try to be neutral on a lof of things, while being decidedly not neutral on other stuff. It's confusing to be honest. I guess it's all to protect business interests, which makes it all the more inconsistent. I'm guessing they need Apple TV to be as politically bland as possible.
The company that funds the show having a say in the material is nothing new. That dynamic has been around since the beginning of media. Stewart himself has been known to adhere to the principles of both-siderism when it comes to political topics which isn’t exactly the most honest way of presenting information.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you AKA don’t make fun or pick on your sponsors or benefactors.
but if you hire someone like Jon Stewart, you know that its part of his show to make fun... so Apple hiring him and then backing out is just a bit silly