Jon Stewart opens up about Apple interference in his show
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 on "The Daily Show" (Source: Comedy Central video)
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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Comments
And of course, now that we know Apple is prepping a big AI push, it's clear why they didn't want him (or anyone) saying anything remotely negative about AI.
Stewart is as good as ever. I'm an Apple fan and have been for decades. I even used to work at Apple. But I never want to get to the point where I immediately write off anyone who questions Apple (or in this case, a technology that Apple happens to be working on). That seems unhealthy.
That seems reasonable but if things changed once the boat had left port then that does not look good. If someone was interfering occasionally, that is bad, trying to micromanage content decisions on the go, is much worse.
Political content of any kind should be allowed to 'breathe' and swing in any direction and let common sense prevail over things getting too toxic.
That means being able to laugh at yourself and take the rough with the smooth. It also means you might see your own customers or political allies getting their feathers ruffled too.
If the guy was signed and given free reign over what to tackle and how, then that was a courageous move. If he was signed and given limits but decided he did not want to be subject to them any longer, that's fine.
If someone (either side) tried to move the goalposts along the way, that's very questionable.
There have been a couple of known occasions where producers for Apple have spoken out about the control element within Apple. I'm inclined to believe that it's real and have no issues with it as long as restrictions are made clear to the creators from the get go.
Doing things the other way around is where I would have issues.
I doubt we'll ever see the other side of this story.
The big caveat of course is that when you sign-up to work for someone else, and especially when you’re opinions could be misconstrued as being the opinions of the organization you work for, you are putting yourself on a slippery slope. Some organizations are more sensitive than others and go out of their way to delineate a line between individual opinions versus the opinions of the organization, to the point of communicating that separation explicitly.
Apple is apparently extremely sensitive when it comes to how they are presented in public forums. Some of this may based on insecurity but some of it also based on the fact that no matter what they do with the best intentions of their customers and shareholders there are always those who delight in trying to put a negative spin on everything Apple does. You know, if you can’t beat Apple in the marketplace, try to cut them down to size in the media or in courtrooms. It’s a lot cheaper than R&D.
Personally, I would prefer that Apple take the prior approach when signing up someone like Jon Stewart. Let him do his thing but make it very clear that Jon’s opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of his sponsor. You’re taking on a little bit of bad but you’re also getting back a lot of good when the person involved has integrity and is respected by viewers. However, him coming out and “revealing” details of his departure from Apple TV+ does tarnish his shine a little bit in my mind because it seems vindictive and self serving. In these situations everyone it going to take a hit, but hopefully they’ll learn from it. Apple needs to be more confident about its public portrayal and Jon needs to maintain a higher level of professionalism and respect for those he serves, even if for a short period of time. My opinion of course.
He's servile to no one because when push comes to shove, he claims to be "no one" himself. Which is complete cowardice.