Jon Stewart says Apple refused to let him discuss artificial intelligence, or interview FTC chair Lina Khan, on his now-canceled Apple TV+ show
Jon Stewart is finally talking about why he and Apple parted ways so suddenly and surprisingly.
On Monday’s episode of The Daily Show, Stewart welcomed Lina Khan—and told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair he had wanted to host her on his Apple TV+ program, but “Apple asked us not do it.”
“They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her,’” Stewart said. “Having nothing to do with what you do for a living, I don’t think they cared for you.”
Additionally, Stewart said Apple refused to let him discuss artificial intelligence on The Problem With Jon Stewart.
Apple did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
The conversation with Khan came after Stewart talked about AI in the opening moments of the show. Later, he noted to his guest “They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI. Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
Apple and Jon Stewart’s relationship came to an abrupt end last October. The Problem With Jon Stewart, which was Stewart’s first regular television appearance in six years after his initial 16-year run at his Comedy Central topical comedy show, never shied away from controversial topics, tackling issues including gender identity and gun control, with many episodes going viral. The final season was nominated for an Emmy in the outstanding talk series category.
Apple is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department and 16 states which accuses Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market. Khan’s FTC is not a part of that suit.
