After hosting The Daily Show for 19 years, comedian Jon Stewart took a six-year hiatus and then began hosting The Problem on Apple TV+ in 2021.
Now, Stewart has seen reportedly his new show end after only two seasons… and only days after a feud with Apple.
“Mr. Stewart told members of his staff on Thursday that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives, a person with knowledge of the meeting said,” The New York Times reported.
Two sources told the paper that Apple had parted ways with Stewart just within the last few days.
Executives at Apple TV+ were reportedly bristling at Stewart’s planned episodes on topics like China and large language models, also known as “artificial intelligence.”
Apple assembles some of its products in China. Plus, the company was investing “millions of dollars per day” into artificial intelligence as of last month, according to a report from The Information.
Plus, the tech giant has likely observed the “Bud Light effect,” which would cause the company to worry about inflammatory content and its potential to alienate Apple consumers. They have iPads to sell.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Stewart quit after Apple’s threat to cancel the series.
THR reported —
Sources tell THR that there had been tension between Apple and Stewart ahead of the show’s third season return over topics featured on The Problem. Those same sources note that Apple approached Stewart and informed the host that both sides needed to be “aligned” regarding topics on the show.
Stewart, sources say, balked at the idea of being “hamstrung” by Apple, which threatened to cancel the series. Stewart, sources say, wanted to have full creative control of the series and, after Apple threatened to cancel the series, told the tech company that he was walking away from the show rather than have his hands tied.
Stewart struggled to attract viewers as host of The Problem, and he received a small fraction of the Emmy nominations afforded to The Daily Show during his tenure.
Cable giants, like Stewart, have struggled to adapt to streaming services. CNN launched a streaming service last year only to watch it die after a month.
Plus, news satire seems to be declining in popularity. Seven such shows premiered between 2015 and 2020, according to one review. By the end of that year, six of the seven had been canceled.
As Stewart is leaving Apple, The Daily Show is once again looking for a permanent host, following Trevor Noah’s departure last year.
Hasan Minhaj, one of The Daily Show‘s former correspondents, has emerged as a possible replacement for Noah, but Minhaj has become mired in scandal after his lies — or “emotional truths” — about his experiences with racism.
The Horn editorial team