Jon Stewart fans got a hefty helping of bad news on Thursday. The comedian’s new series, The Problem with Jon Stewart, will not be moving forward with its third season. The show strived to do something than Stewart’s old gig at The Daily Show by taking a deeper dive into singular topics and only releasing episodes once every two weeks. While that approach took a while to catch on, The Problem did break through the cultural zeitgeist in its second season thanks to Stewart’s unrelenting interview style where he pushed back on anti-trans and pro-gun legislators.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Apple and Stewart had agreed to a more aggressive weekly episode drop for the third season. However, things went south when Apple started voicing concerns over the show tackling China and AI, which prompted Stewart to walk:
Sources tell THR that there had been tension between Apple and Stewart ahead of the show’s third season return over topics featured on The Problem. Those same sources note that Apple approached Stewart and informed the host that both sides needed to be “aligned” regarding topics on the show. Stewart, sources say, balked at the idea of being “hamstrung” by Apple, which threatened to cancel the series. Stewart, sources say, wanted to have full creative control of the series and, after Apple threatened to cancel the series, told the tech company that he was walking away from the show rather than have his hands tied.
Naturally, Stewart fans can’t help but notice the timing of the comedian walking away from The Problem. For the past few weeks, The Daily Show has been publicly having issues settling upon a new permanent host to replace Trevor Noah, and look who just became available.
Fucking love Jon Stewart
Hey Jon, I hear the Daily Show is looking for a new host 🤣 https://t.co/4K3dB3X7pd
— 🎮LZ (@LZatYT) October 20, 2023
Soooo Jon Stewart is available and THE DAILY SHOW is looking for a permanent host? https://t.co/oU1lJHxpPr
— Jenelle Riley (@jenelleriley) October 20, 2023
Jon Stewart needs a new show. The Daily Show needs a new host. It's so perfect!
Let's make it happen!!
— Josh Klemons (@jlemonsk) October 20, 2023
I'm sure I'm not alone in the thought that it'd be pretty cool to see Jon Stewart announced as the new permanent host of The Daily Show. It's probably better for all involved if he just does his own new thing, but seeing him at the desk for an election would be pretty awesome.
— Steve (@StevenFnBell) October 20, 2023
Of course, it should be noted that The Daily Show has been looking for a new host for an entire year now. The timing of Stewart leaving The Problem is almost definitely a coincidence.
That being said, is there a chance Stewart could come back to The Daily Show? Sure, anything is possible, but the comedian has repeatedly stated his intentions to do something different after feeling worn out by the grind of four episodes a week. We wouldn’t recommend holding your breath.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
