‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ leaves Apple over AI and China episode plans
2 min readJon Stewart was, as they say in Hollywood, a “get.” He retired from The Daily Show as the king of late-night comedy TV after winning a veritable mountain of awards including 24 Emmys, springboarding several other careers, and building an incredible influence on U.S. news and politics.
So to get Jon Stewart back in front of the camera with a new show was something of a coup. The Problem with Jon Stewart employed a different format–a once-weekly deep dive into a single topic, with frequent breaks–but was nonetheless heralded. After a somewhat rough first season, some tweaks to the format in the second season found the show hitting its stride. Snappier, funnier, and with some real bombshell interviews, the second season earned three Emmy nominations and many segments went viral online.
Now, it looks as though Apple is losing the show. According to The New York Times, just as filming on the season 3 episodes was about to begin, Stewart and Apple parted ways over disagreements over some of the topics and guests planned. In particular, episodes about China and AI made Apple nervous, but Stewart didn’t want to relinquish creative control or be censored. The Times says the 2024 election heating up caused some worry over further disagreements.
The weekly TV show was accompanied by an exclusive podcast, which will also be canceled. Stewart’s production company, Busboy Productions, also had a first-look deal with Apple for potential future projects. The status of that remains unclear, but it seems likely that both sides walked away from the entire contract.
