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Jon Stewart claims Apple asked him not to interview FTC Chair Lina Khan: 'What is that sensitivity?'

The Department of Justice recently sued Apple in an antitrust case.

Jon Stewart claims Apple discouraged him from interviewing Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan while he was employed by the tech giant's streaming service.

“I've got to tell you, I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it," Stewart told Khan when she joined him on Monday's episode of The Daily Show. "They literally said, 'please don’t talk to her,' having nothing to do with what you do for a living. I think they just— I didn’t think they cared for you is what happened."

Stewart hosted Apple TV+'s two-season The Problem With Jon Stewart and an accompanying podcast, but parted ways with the streamer last fall due to creative differences, reportedly over disagreements of coverage pertaining to artificial intelligence and China. He returned to Comedy Central earlier this year as part-time host of The Daily Show.

Apple TV+ didn't immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment.

<p>Matt Wilson/Comedy Central’s The Daily Show</p> Lina Khan and Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show'

Matt Wilson/Comedy Central’s The Daily Show

Lina Khan and Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show'

The comedian's comments come a few weeks after the Department of Justice sued Apple in an antitrust case, alleging that the iPhone maker has a monopoly over the market that has harmed consumers, developers, and rival companies.

"What is that sensitivity?" Stewart asked Khan. "Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?"

"I think it just shows one of the dangers of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision-making in a small number of companies," Khan posited. Topics covered by the duo included the agency's antitrust lawsuit against Amazon and whether there's an arms race between tech companies to wield control over AI.

Watch the interview above.

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