Jon Stewart’s encounter with Apple censorship came to light during a recent episode of his The Daily Show, featuring an interview with Lina Khan, the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission. After inviting Khan onto his The Problem with Jon Stewart Apple TV+ show for a podcast episode, Apple’s censorship became conspicuous when it requested Stewart not to proceed with the invite.
“I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it,” Stewart told Khan. “They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her.'”
Moreover, the episode was riddled with examples of what Apple permitted for broadcast, including Stewart’s initially scheduled section on artificial intelligence titled the “false promise of AI.”
“They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI,” he told Khan. “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 responded.
US lawmakers have already demanded an explanation from Apple regarding the sudden termination of Jon Stewart’s political comedy show on its streaming platform. This inquiry, articulated in a public letter, suggests that the show’s abrupt end might be attributed to the sensitivity of content related to China.
The New York Times previously shed light on the discontinuation of Stewart’s program on Apple TV+, attributing it to “creative differences,” The report highlighted Stewart’s disclosure to his team about the apprehension of Apple executives over certain topics, notably those concerning China and artificial intelligence.
