Earlier today, Jon Stewart, comedian and former host for 16 years of “The Daily Show,” confirmed why his last show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” was canceled by Apple TV Plus.
“I very much wanted to have some kind of place to unload thoughts, as we get into this election season,” Jon Stewart said on CBS Morning. “I thought I was going to do it over at…they call it Apple TV Plus. It's a television enclave, very small. It's like living in Malibu,” Stewart joked. He then said that Apple TV Plus executives didn’t want him to “say things that might get him in trouble,” Stewart said. His previous show, "The Problem with Jon Stewart," ran from 2021 to 2023 on Apple TV Plus.
Jon Stewart reveals why Apple TV Plus canceled his last show
Stewart hosted “The Daily Show” from 1999 to 2015, where he became one of the most influential voices in media and politics during those years. After Stewart left "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah took over hosting the show until 2022. Since then, the show has had a rotating lineup of hosts.
On CBS Mornings, Stewart was asked about having an influential voice in this political election. He replied, “I don't know if I'm hoping to have an influence, but I'm hoping to have a catharsis and a way to comment on things and a way to express them that hopefully people will enjoy. But as far as influence…just about everything that I wanted to happen over the 16 years that I was at ‘The Daily Show’ did not happen.”
He went on to say that political workers in the field, like activists, were really much more influential during elections. And he’s learned that in television, he felt people like him can only, "occasionally provide air support to those on the ground who are actually doing the work.”
This evening, Stewart returned to Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which he'll be hosting every Monday night during the 2024 election season.
