U.S. Lawmakers Ask Apple CEO Whether Jon Stewart’s Show Was Axed Because of Concerns Over China Commentary
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Reps heading a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives are questioning Apple CEO Tim Cook about whether the tech giant’s decision to cancel Jon Stewart‘s Apple TV+ talk show was because the host may have been 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 (CCP) wrote in the letter to Cook, released Wednesday.
News that “The Trouble With Jon Stewart,” from the former “Daily Show” host, would not return for a third season on Apple TV+ came out in October.
Per the New York Times, Stewart told staff members that possible upcoming topics for the show including China and artificial intelligence “were causing concern among Apple executives.” The letter to Cook, signed by committee chair Rep.
Michael Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, asked rhetorically, “If Jon Stewart can potentially be impeded from offering commentary on the CCP, what does this mean for less prominent personalities?
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