Jon Stewart is coming clean about the real reason Apple TV+ canned his series, “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” last year — and it has everything to do with his mouth.
“I wanted a place to unload thoughts as we get into the election season,” Stewart told “CBS Mornings” Monday in explaining why he’s rejoining “The Daily Show” as a Monday night host through the 2024 election cycle starting Feb. 12.
“I thought I was going to do it over at — they call it Apple TV+,” he said about his former network home. “It’s a television enclave, very small. It’s like living in Malibu.
“But they decided … they felt that they didn’t want me to say things that might get me in trouble.”
“The Problem With Jon Stewart” premiered in 2021 after Stewart signed a multi-year deal with Apple TV+.
Season 1 aired two episodes each week, while Season 2 switched to a weekly format.
The show was canceled in October 2023.
According to Variety, while it was reported at the time that Stewart’s divorce from Apple TV+ was amicable, there was behind-the-scenes intrigue that led to his ouster.
The New York Times reported that Stewart and his bosses disagreed over which topics he would cover in Season 2 of “The Problem With Jon Stewart” — including A.I. and China.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was later questioned by members of the US House of Representatives over whether Stewart’s departure was because he was planning an upcoming episode about China.
“While companies have the right to determine what content is appropriate for their streaming service, the coercive tactics of a foreign power should not be directly or indirectly influencing these determinations,” the leaders of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party wrote to Cook.
Stewart, 61, also told “CBS Mornings” that he’s returning to “The Daily Show” every Monday night because he wanted to have a platform with which to share his opinions vis-a-vis the 2024 election season.
“Who better to comment on this election than someone who truly understands two again men past their prime?” he said, tongue planted firmly in cheek.
He also dismissed ruminations on how much sway he has over public opinion.
“But as far as influence … just about everything I had wanted to happen over the 16 years that I was at ‘The Daily Show’ did not happen, if you were hoping for influence,” he said.
Stewart hosted “The Daily Show” from 1999-2015.