The Problem with Jon Stewart


The Problem with Jon Stewart is an American current affairs television series hosted by Jon Stewart on Apple TV+. Each episode focuses on a single issue. The series premiered on September 30, 2021. The second season premiered on October 7, 2022. The series was canceled in October 2023 after two seasons.

Production

In October 2020, as part of a multi-year production deal with Apple, it was announced that Jon Stewart was creating a new current affairs series for Apple TV+, marking his return to the format since leaving The Daily Show in 2015.
Throughout early 2021, the show was building out its production team, hiring Brinda Adhikari to serve as showrunner and executive producer, Chelsea Devantez as head writer, and Lorrie Baranek as Stewart's executive in production in February 2021. Adhikari was a longtime network news veteran before coming on to the show. Around the same time, Busboy Productions posted job listings seeking to fill positions for all aspects of the production.
On April 7, 2021, the title of The Problem with Jon Stewart and a late 2021 premiere date for the series were announced.
Each episode lasted one hour and focused on a single issue that was "currently part of the national conversation and advocacy work". Apple had said that the show would run for multiple seasons, and that each season would be accompanied by a companion podcast, co-hosted by Stewart and his writing and production staff and following up on each episode.
The series began filming in front of a live studio audience in New York City on July 14, 2021.

Cancellation

On October 19, 2023, it was announced that the show was cancelled due to creative differences between Stewart and Apple, which reportedly involved the show's coverage of artificial intelligence, Israel, and China. On The Daily Show on April 8, 2024, in an interview with FTC Chair Lina Khan, Stewart discussed some of his problems with Apple, and said that when he wanted to have Khan on the show, "Apple asked us not do it... They literally said 'please don’t talk to her'." Stewart also said that Apple wouldn't let him talk about AI on the same episode. CNN reported that Stewart had talked about concerns expressed by Apple over his show covering subjects of AI, China, and Israel.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2021–22)

Season 2 (2022–23)

Release

The Problem with Jon Stewart premiered its first episode on September 30, 2021, on Apple TV+, with one new episode initially scheduled to premiere every other Thursday. The series is accompanied by a weekly podcast that premiered on September 30, 2021.