“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.
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+.
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.
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.
“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.
