In a recent interview on “CBS Mornings,” Jon Stewart, who is gearing up to return to presenting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” disclosed that Apple had cancelled his former talk show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart.”
Stewart stated Apple’s decision was based on worries about possibly contentious content. During the April 1 episode of “The Daily Show,” Stewart went deeper into Apple’s concerns about the future of his old show and its associated podcast.
Stewart mentioned to Federal Trade Commission chairman Lina Khan during their appearance on “The Daily Show” that he had previously attempted to get her to come as a guest on the podcast “The Problem.” Apple apparently opposed to Stewart inviting Khan to come on the show because the FTC was investigating tech companies’ monopolistic practices.
Stewart said, “I wanted to have you on a podcast, but Apple begged us not to. They basically said, ‘Please don’t speak to her.'”
Stewart even claimed that Apple had forbidden him from highlighting the perils of artificial intelligence on his show. He referenced a nearly 15-minute segment Stewart had done earlier in the show in which he criticized the rise of AI and highlighted how it is turning human employment obsolete, saying, “They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI.”
“Like, what is that sensitivity?” Stewart asked about Apple. “Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
Mr. Khan responded, “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.”
Stewart’s Apple series premiered in 2021 as part of a multi-year first-look pact with the tech giant’s streaming business. During the first season, episodes aired every two weeks, while in the second season, they aired weekly.
Every episode of “The Problem” saw Stewart delve into a different topic. The streamer announced in October of last year that a third season of Stewart’s show would not be produced.