Jon Stewart Says Apple Wouldn’t Let Him Interview FTC Chair

“Daily Show” host Jon Stewart revealed on Monday that Apple blocked him from interviewing Lina Kahn, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, for his podcast “The Problem With Jon Stewart” — an accompaniment to his 2021-2023 AppleTV show of the same name.

“I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it,” Stewart told Kahn during an interview on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”  “They literally said ‘please don’t talk to her.’”

“They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI,” Stewart added, referencing an earlier segment in Monday’s broadcast. “Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”

Last month, the Justice Department sued Apple, alleging that the Silicon Valley giant has violated antitrust laws through its alleged monopolization of the smartphone market. In its complaint, the DOJ noted that the tech company is “rapidly expanding its role as a TV and movie producer and has exercised that role to control content.”

Even before she assumed her role as FTC chairwoman, Khan had gained a reputation as a staunch antitrust advocate. Under her administration of the body, the FTC has investigated major tech companies including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Nvidia.

In allegedly pressuring Stewart to keep Khan off his show, Apple lent credence to many of her criticisms of the tech sector.

“Thanks to @jonstewart for having me on to talk about @FTC’s work to lower the cost of asthma inhalers, the importance of holding corporate executives accountable for lawbreaking, and how monopolies can use their power to bully, coerce, and censor speech,” Khan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.

Apple itself has challenged the DOJ’s allegations, claiming that the lawsuit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.”

“If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect,” the company added in it’s response last month.

More from Rolling Stone

• These Apple AirTag Trackers Are On Sale for a Record Low of Just $18 Each

• Jon Stewart Blasts Claims Trump's $454 Million Fraud is 'Victimless'

• The Justice Department Is Suing Apple for 'Green Bubble' Discrimination

Best of Rolling Stone

• The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign

• Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal

• The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence