Jon Stewart names guest he was banned from interviewing on Apple TV+ show
Over the course of 25 years skewering the planet’s biggest talking points through the prism of razor-sharp satirical comedy, Jon Stewart has carved out an immense reputation and any company who employs him to front a show should know exactly what it’ll be getting for its money.
Nevertheless, the comedian and broadcaster has revealed that when he was under the employ of Apple TV+, the tech giant prohibited him from speaking to somebody with an axe to grind. Of course, the company is entitled to protect its reputation and prevent people in its employ from airing any dirty laundry, but it begs the question as to why it hired Stewart if it was going to draw the line anywhere.
The United States Justice Department recently filed legal action against Apple alongside more than a dozen state attorneys, suggesting the company has created a monopoly over the smartphone market and tech sector at large by intentionally limiting and stifling compatibility with other non-Apple devices.
The political concern stems from the Justice Department issuing warnings that Apple’s dominance over the tech sphere could eventually filter through into other areas of the country’s economy. Unsurprisingly, the higher-ups weren’t particularly enthused by the prospect of Federal Trade Commission chairperson Lina Khan being a guest on The Problem with Jon Stewart.
The series was cancelled in October 2023, with the faithful and well-worn excuse of ‘creative differences’ trotted out, although Stewart was more open about it. He confirmed one of the reasons why his Apple exclusive was axed was because “they felt that they didn’t want me to say things that might get me in trouble.”
That’s entirely applicable to chatting with FTC chief Khan, but with Stewart now back on The Daily Show having made his triumphant return as its Monday host in February of this year, the interviewee overruled by Apple made an appearance. During the broadcast, the comedy star shared how their chat had been a long time coming.
“I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it,” he said. “They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her.’” That wasn’t the company’s only bugbear, though, with Stewart outlining how even a comedic skit on the dangers of artificial intelligence was also rejected by his corporate overlords.
“They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI,” Stewart continued. “Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
“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,” Khan said about the reason why the interview took so long to come to fruition, but at least she got around to being quizzed by Stewart eventually.
Watch their conversation below.
