Jon Stewart has expressed his frustration over the cancellation of his AppleTV+ show after just two seasons, attributing it to a fundamental flaw in corporations. Despite having a successful run on Comedy Central, Stewart found that AppleTV+ had different priorities and a different approach to content.
Stewart recalled a specific episode where he interviewed Summers, a topic he felt was crucial to discuss, but Apple executives didn’t seem to share his enthusiasm. “There’s a mantra we all have to remember. Corporations are pussies. They are now, and they always have been,” he said.
During the interview, Stewart asked Summers about soaring corporate profits during the pandemic, which didn’t sit well with Apple executives. “Are you gonna use that Summers thing?” they asked, sparking a debate between his staff and the platform’s executives. Ultimately, Stewart realized that “Our aims do not align in any way.”
Stewart noted that AppleTV+ is a side hustle for Apple, which has other core business interests. “If you’re working for a content company, every metric that you would look at to say you were successful in that market, was there [for The Problem],” he said. “But if a show is thought to be damaging to Apple’s real business interests, then it doesn’t matter if it is successful.”
Stewart pointed out that when a show like Ted Lasso becomes a hit for Apple, it’s well-received, but if a show is perceived as a threat to Apple’s interests, it doesn’t matter how well it performs. “Apple isn’t just a content company, they have a whole other side business,” he said. “So if you think about it, content for them, and I don’t wanna say it’s a lark, but it is not core to their brand identity.”
