Why did Apple cancel Jon Stewart's show? Comedian discusses his plans for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show ahead of his contract expiration

Jon Stewart shared at the New Yorker Festival on Sunday that he wanted to continue working for Comedy Central's The Daily Show after his contract expires in December 2025.

Jon Stewart hosted Comedy Central's late-night talk show, The Daily Show, in 1999, replacing Craig Kilborn. He left in 2015. Stewart started his own show, The Problem with Jon Stewart, on Apple TV+ in 2021.

Apple canceled Jon Stewart's show in 2023 due to "creative differences" between him and Apple executives. The New York Times reported that the comedian's jokes about China and AI were the reason behind the show's cancellation.

He returned to The Daily Show in February 2024, hosting one show per week. Stewart said on Sunday that he would renew his contract and "keep fighting in the foxhole."

Paramount owned Comedy Central, and this year, Paramount merged with Skydance. David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, is known for being close with Donald Trump, whom Jon Stewart has criticized numerous times.

Stewart stated at the New Yorker Festival that, while he is "upset" about the decisions made by the parent company, he has decided to remain on The Daily Show.

"We're working on staying. Look, the other thing to remember is it's not as clear cut as all that. They've already done things that I'm upset about. But then if I had integrity, maybe I would stand up and go, 'I'm out.' Or maybe the integrity thing to do would be to stay in it and keep fighting in the foxhole," Stewart said.

Jon Stewart talked about the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The comedian shared at the New Yorker Festival that the suspension of Kimmel's late-night show gave other comedians "purpose." For the unversed, last month, Jimmy Kimmel's segment went viral, where he talked about Charlie Kirk's assassination and Donald Trump's remarks on it.

Jimmy Kimmel’s full comments on Charlie Kirk which led to his show being taken off air indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/Ctg7LL8HWL

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 18, 2025

The president and Kirk's supporters were upset, protesting online and demanding that his show be shut down. Disney put Jimmy Kimmel Live! on suspension for nearly a week before allowing it to air again on September 23, 2025.

Stewart was among the many celebrities who supported Kimmel at the time. He again brought it up on Sunday, saying that everyone was "rattled" by the suspension. However, when the show returned, it gave comedians the opportunity to talk about "all the stupid little shit" that happened in the country.

"It rattled everyone to some extent, but it also presented a great opportunity. I don't think we've had as much fun as we did that Thursday morning coming up with all the stupid little shit you see, including gold pictures and red ties. It gave us some purpose," he stated.

After the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Donald Trump protested against it. He also said that he would sue ABC for allowing Kimmel to have his late-night show. There are no updates on when the president would file a lawsuit against the network. Stay tuned for more news on Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel.