Jon Stewart continues his `Daily Show' comeback with dig at former employer

Late-night TV host Jon Stewart continued his headline-making streak this week by calling out his former employer, Apple, on his latest episode of “The Daily Show.”

While interviewing the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, on Monday, Stewart accused Apple of deterring him from inviting Khan onto his podcast while he was working for the Cupertino-based tech and entertainment giant.

Last month, the United States Justice Department and 16 state attorneys general — including California's — sued Apple for attempting to monopolize the smartphone market.

“I wanted to have you on a podcast,” Stewart told Khan on Monday's “Daily Show” program. “Apple asked us not to do it . ... They literally said, `Please don't talk to her.'”

Stewart was referring to the short-lived podcast “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” an extension of the Apple TV+ series of the same name that lasted two seasons. Shortly after “The Problem” concluded in April 2023, Stewart returned to lead Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” for the first time in nearly a decade.

The comedian hosts the show on Monday nights and is expected to stay through the 2024 election cycle. He is also set to serve as an executive producer on the program through 2025. The rest of the week is moderated by other members of the “Daily Show” news team.

“What is that sensitivity?” Stewart said Monday after calling Apple out. “Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”

Apple did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.