Jon Stewart is calling out major news organizations for “stonewalling” his podcast, The Weekly Show.
“It’s difficult for us to book pundits or journalists that are on television. Their organizations will not let them come on our podcast,” he said. “Let that sink in for just a moment. Organizations that rely on access and transparency refuse to allow their reporters to come on a podcast to talk about the issues of the day.”
According to Stewart and his producers, the reporters they’re seeking to book are willing to appear on the show. The holdup comes when they seek approval from their networks, who decline without explanation.
“I haven’t been able to get clear answers, which is part of the frustration,” added producer Brittany Mehmedovic. “It’s unlike anything I’ve really ever seen in the decade that I’ve been doing this.”
“I just want people at home to let that sink in for a second,” Stewart reiterated. “News organizations stonewall inquiries as to why their reporters are not allowed—are being restricted—from just being able to come on a stupid f**king podcast and give their opinion.”
“I understand that you can’t go write articles for other papers, or you can’t host a show on another network,” he clarified. “But these types of promotional or cross-pollinating appearances should be standard fare.”
News orgs control access to their reporters!!! Sad!! https://t.co/jfuOG2l97d
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) July 25, 2024
Stewart went on to call out MSNBC and CNN as particular offenders, noting the latter “gave us a bunch of sh*t for trying to bring somebody on.”
“I would think it’s an embarrassment to those news organizations. And the crazy thing to me is, the journalists themselves think it’s insane,” he added. “It shows the fundamental disconnect between the people that are running these organizations, and what those organizations are supposedly there for—which is informing the public on the issues of the day.”
“Do you think this is a universal rule, or this is me?” Stewart asked his producers. “It’s hard not to take this personally.”
The host has been vocal about the machinations of the booking process lately. In April, he welcomed Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan as a guest on The Daily Show after Apple allegedly prevented him from interviewing her on his Apple TV+ program The Problem with Jon Stewart.
“I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it,” Stewart told Khan.
“They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her,’” he revealed. “Like, what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
Stewart premiered his The Weekly Show podcast in June, with the promise that he’d cover “all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me.” Produced in partnership with Comedy Central, Stewart releases new episodes every Thursday. He continues to host episodes of The Daily Show every Monday night, at least through the election cycle.
That’s the Trumpiest tweet I’ve ever seen Jon make. More proof he’s sliding into the right wing (which may be why most news orgs want nothing to do with his show).