Entertainment journalist Kim Serafin and sports agent Doug Eldridge discuss Taylor Swift and her recent impact on NFL ticket prices.
Taylor Swift and other stars' music could disappear from TikTok after Universal Music Group (UMG) announced Tuesday that its negotiations for a renewed licensing agreement with the popular short video platform yielded no results.
In an open letter penned this week, UMG explained that its contract with the app expires on Jan. 31, noting that its stance in the negotiations has emphasized three "critical issues," mentioning "appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users."
"TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay," the letter explained.
A dispute between TikTok and Taylor Swift's label UMG put the artist's content in jeopardy on the app.(Bob Levey/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management / Getty Images)
"Today, as an indication of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base, rapidly rising advertising revenue and increasing reliance on music-based content, TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue."
UMG succinctly followed by saying, "Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music."
The label's letter also called out TikTok's leniency on artificial intelligence, noting that the platform not only allows AI-generated recordings to circulate among its content, but also enables users to create AI music on the platform itself.
"[TikTok then demands] a contractual right which would allow this content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a move that is nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI," UMG stated.
The TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken Jan. 6, 2020.(REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
In a third swipe, UMG's letter argued that TikTok fails to adequately address "content adjacency issues" and offers no efficient way to remove "problematic content," including explicit deepfakes, from its platform.
They accused TikTok of "bullying" them into accepting a deal of lesser value than the previous deal during the negotiation process.
"How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars."
"TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans. We will never do that," UMG said.
A view of the Universal Music Group headquarters is seen on Feb. 9, 2021 in Santa Monica, California.(VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
TikTok fired back at UMG in a statement responding to the complaints Tuesday, accusing the label of "greed" and prioritizing money over the best interest of its artists.
"Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent."
Circle Squared Alternative Investments founder Jeff Sica argues Taylor Swift's treatment of her employees has 'raised the bar' for CEOs on 'Varney & Co.'
"TikTok has been able to reach 'artist-first' agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal's self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans," the remainder of the statement read in full.
Universal Music Group also represents other popular artists, including Drake.
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Onstage and off, she was celebrated as a pathbreaking triple-threat who left a huge legacy in musical theater and dance.
Chita Rivera created several memorable Broadway characters that are now considered part of the canon, including the role of Velma Kelly in the original production of “Chicago.” So when the cast of the long-running Broadway revival took to the stage of the Ambassador Theater in New York on Tuesday night just a few hours after her death was announced, it was only natural that they would pay tribute to her.
After the performance the cast assembled onstage as Amra-Faye Wright, who plays Kelly now, recalled Rivera as a “Broadway giant,” who championed other dancers.
“I feel still an impostor in the role because it belonged to Chita Rivera,” Wright said, as cast members dabbed their eyes. “She created it. She starred in the original production of ‘Chicago’ and she lives on constantly in our hearts, on this stage, in every performance. We love you, Chita.”
Rivera’s death on Tuesday at the age of 91 inspired an outpouring of testimonials from fans and colleagues, elected officials and stars of stage and screen, who recalled her as a pathbreaking triple-threat who left a huge legacy in musical theater and dance.
The audience at “Chicago” listened as Rivera was recalled as a “Broadway giant.”Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
On Instagram, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer, writer and actor, described Rivera as “The trailblazer for 🇵🇷 on Broadway,” using an emoji of the Puerto Rican flag, and called her “an absolute original.”
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Thousands of people are unloading their life problems on Elmo this week after the red Muppet posed a casual question on X: “How is everybody doing?”
Not well, it seems.
In fact, the question, which was posted to X on Monday, opened the floodgates to a deluge of internet users eager to vent to the children’s show character that had somehow signed himself up to be the internet’s newest therapist.
“Elmo I’m suffering from existential dread over here,” a user replied.
“Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come,” another user wrote. “Every single day and every single week for life.”
Even some celebrities joined in on the collective grievance-airing. Actor Rachel Zegler said she was “resisting the urge to tell elmo that i am kinda sad.”
Some joked that such a massive trauma dump must be too much for the poor puppet to handle.
All Elmo did was ask a simple question, but the responses were so overwhelming that “Sesame Street’s” official X account shared a link to mental health resources.
Aaron Bisman, the vice president of audience development at Sesame Workshop, said the "grown-ups" helping Elmo and other characters from the show with their social media accounts are "cognizant of the relationship that audiences have developed" with them over the last 54 years.
"Many of our social posts are designed to make audiences smile or laugh, while others promote and share resources for kids children and their parents, caregivers, and loved ones who make up their circle of care," Bisman said.
“Leveraging the interest in Elmo’s tweet to posting the quote tweet from Sesame Street with emotional wellbeing resources is exactly what Sesame Workshop was created to do."
Still, the Muppet appears to be trying his best to keep up.
“Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing,” he wrote in a follow-up post. “Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you.❤️ #EmotionalWellBeing”
Some, such as the singer-songwriter T-Pain, expressed appreciation for Elmo’s empathy.
“That’s love, pull up any time bruh,” he wrote. “Check in on your people 🙏🏿”
There were also people online who then wondered whether Elmo himself might need some love.
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The new immersive destination will feature these familiar worlds for fans to explore, but will also introduce a cosmic concept that’s out of this world with Celestial Park, which will serve as a pre-game theme park experience centralized at Epic Universe before you venture off to its other realms.
Universal Creative has aimed for the stars in creating a new destination it hopes will inspire week-long vacations between Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. “Epic Universe is built on an amazing concept: the idea that you can go into a world through some kind of a portal and come out in a world you never could dream of—you can experience it,” Steven Spielberg, who serves as a creative consultant for Universal Destinations and Experiences, shared in the park’s video introduction. “I think that it’s just going to feed the imagination of so many people of all ages.” The new park will transport guests to new expansive worlds beyond just a themed ride; you’ll be in the universe of each story in over 50 attractions, entertainment, dining, and shopping experiences.
Take a look below for a preview and more info on each portal!
Introducing Universal Epic Universe
Super Nintendo World
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
We’re excited for this one because in Orlando there’s lots of room to play. Pretty much a given are the attractions from the Super Mario Bros. games; what is standing out, however, is the mention of Donkey Kong—because as we know, Universal Japan’s Super Nintendo World got the Mine Cart ride that jumps rails, and seems very likely Epic Universe will too.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
Inspired by Warner Bros. Pictures’ flop Fantastic Beasts films and that era’s Ministry of Magic.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
It’s taken way to long to get a dragon world from the beloved Dreamworks franchise. Here guests will be able to soar with dragons on their own viking adventures, just like Hiccup and Toothless.
Dark Universe
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
I don’t care it’s named similarly to the defunct Universal Pictures attempt at a Universal Monsters cinematic universe. My monster-loving heart is just getting the takeaway that the Universal Monsters are finally getting their theme park due. They built the studio so it’s only right to see the characters get their own realm here. And the concept is killer: guests will “encounter everything from the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to the shadowy landscape where monsters roam in a world of myth and mystery.” Count me all the way in!
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
Celestial Park
Image: Universal Destinations and Experiences
An interstellar adventure awaits with Celestial Park, featuring architecture inspired by myths and astronomy. Guests can ride a shooting comet, take a spin on a astrological carousel, dine on delectable otherworldly cuisine, and even stay in the middle of it all at the Universal Helios Grand Hotel—with immersive celestial views and its own dedicated entrance into the theme park.
For more info about Universal Epic Universe, check out the interactive preview center at Universal CityWalk which will open later this year, and visit www.UniversalOrlando.com.
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Universal Orlando Resort has revealed the first official look at one of five new lands slated to open as part of its Universal Epic Universe park, and confirmed the themes of three additional lands.
On Tuesday, the Florida-based NBCUniversal theme park and resort teased Celestial Park, a land that embodies the literal “park” experience with lush, living gardens, shimmering waterways, and stroll-worthy paths alongside astronomical and mythological-inspired architecture. It also confirmed the themes of Epic Universe’s three previously unannounced parks beyond Super Nintendo World: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe.
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“Universal Epic Universe marks a huge transformational moment for Universal Orlando Resort and it will change everything about our destination,” Karen Irwin, president & chief operating officer of Universal Orlando Resort, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “This will be the exciting culmination of our amazing growth over the past 30-plus years and will transform Universal Orlando into a weeklong vacation destination filled with the most thrilling experiences imaginable.”
Celestial Park Luna Overlook at Universal Epic Universe Courtesy of NBCUniversal
A gateway to Epic Universe’s four other lands, Celestial serves as the first stop for all park guests, and will feature in-park accommodations, fountain shows, a wet-play area, a carousel, a dual-launch racing coaster, and themed restaurants and shops.
The grand centerpiece of Celestial Park is Constellation Carousel, an all-ages attraction that takes guests on a whirl through the Milky Way. Park attendees will not only glide forward and backward on constellations, but make 360-degree rotations in what the park describes as a “dance of music and starlight.”
Among the park’s other attractions is the Starfall Racers, which launches guests into a rocketing race along 5,000 feet of track aboard competing comets, reaching up to 62 mph and heights of 133 feet. A dual-racing attraction, the coaster also features various maneuvers such as the “Celestial Spin,” which sees two vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air.
(L-R top): Renderings of Constellation Carousel and Starfall Racers; (L-R bottom): Renderings of the Atlantic and Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant Courtesy of NBCUniversal
A central and immersive feature of the park will be the interactive wet-play area, Astronomica. A collection of crystal blue fountains that spring to life around guests, the attraction doubles as a giant compass, pointing park attendees to the various lands of Epic Universe. Additional fountain shows, some reaching up to 135 feet in the air and programmed to sway to music and interactive lighting day-round, will be located throughout the land’s seven acres of water.
The park will serve as home to the Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a 500-room resort located at the end of the park, with unique views and a dedicated entrance, bringing guests to the place in the world where the heavens and earth unite. A collection of themed restaurants and shops will also be available, including the Atlantic, a full-service surf and turf restaurant inside a Victorian aquarium with views of the land, and the Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, another full-service experience accented by neon dragons and ethereal lanterns and featuring a Chinese, Japanese and Thai menu.
The Oak & Star Tavern’s savory barbecue, Pizza Moon’s variety of pizza pies, and Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets’ unique selection will serve as quicker service options, alongside retail locations like the Nintendo Super Star Store.
Universal Helios Grand Hotel Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Portals that capture the distinct theme and creativity of the remaining four lands take guests from Celestial Park to inside the Ministry of Magic, where park attendees will experience the 1920s era of the wizarding world. This land serves as a blend of Paris in the Fantastic Beasts films and the British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter series.
Super Nintendo World — which already opened at Universal Studios Hollywood last year and was confirmed as part of Epic Universe in 2023 — will usher guests through the iconic green pipe where they can access attractions and experiences based in the shared universe of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong.
Following a separate Dreamworks’ land teased last July, the introduction of Isle of Berk promises park-goers can soar with dragons and take part in Viking adventures inspired by the How to Train Your Dragon movie franchise. Finally, the Dark Universe will call upon fans of Universal’s classic horror films, with encounters featuring the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein amid a shadowy landscape home to monsters, myth, and mystery.
(L-R top): The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and Super Nintendo World portals; (L-R bottom): How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe portals Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Universal’s Epic Universe is part of a larger strategy for the Universal Destinations & Experiences division to increase weeklong vacations on-site. Together, the five lands will feature more than 50 attractions, entertainment, dining, and shopping experiences. It’s the newest of now four NBCUniversal theme parks based out of Florida, with the other three being Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.
“It’s the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done,” Woodbury said at the Bank of America Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference. “And that speaks to both the attractions themselves, the next generation of robotics drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience. The full guest journey is really being taken to a whole new level.”
In a video walkthrough of the new park, creative consultant for universal destination & experiences Steven Spielberg called the foundations of Epic Universe “an amazing concept.”
“The idea that you go into a world through some kind of a portal, and you come out in the world you never could dream of — you could experience it,” he added. “I think it’s going to just feed the imagination of so many people of all ages.”
A previous version of this story misidentified Dreamworks’ land as part of Epic Universe.
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ET has exclusively learned that the "Karma" singer, 34, will be in attendance at the Feb. 4 award show, however, she will not be performing as she has a quick turnaround before resuming her record-breakingEras Touron the other side of the world.
Swift -- whose albumMidnightsis nominated for six awards -- will quickly head out from the show and travel to Tokyo, Japan, where she will perform four back-to-backsold-out showsin the proceeding days.
The 12-time GRAMMY winner was on tour in Argentina when thenominations were announced in November. At the time, Swift took a moment to thank fans for helping her shatter records previously held by some of the music industry's top luminaries -- including herself.
"The way you have supported my album, Midnights, it just got nominated for six GRAMMYS," she said, holding up six fingers and busting a move while seated at her moss-covered piano. "You're the best."
As far as other nominations are concerned, SZA leads the pack with nine GRAMMY nods, which are mostly for her 2022 album SOS. Boygenius, Miley Cyrus, Jon Batiste and Lana Del Rey are among those competing in the major categories — Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
For her part, Swift -- a 52-time nominee -- is in the running for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Hosted once again by comedian and former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, the 2024 GRAMMYs will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+ for Paramount+ with Showtime users on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. EST.
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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake dated in their late teens
Britney Spears has appeared to apologise to her ex Justin Timberlake for comments in her autobiography.
He had told her to have an abortion as he "didn't want to be a father", she alleged in The Woman in Me, and cheated on her with "another celebrity".
But on Monday, she posted a clip of him singing his songs with Jimmy Fallon on NBC's Saturday Night Live programme.
And alongside the Instagram post, she wrote: "I wanna apologise for some of the things I wrote about in my book."
Spears wrote: "If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about, I am deeply sorry.
"I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake's new song, Selfish.
"It is so good - and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together, I laugh so hard?"
Spears released a song in 2011 with the same title, with some Britney fans campaigning to get her Selfish track into the charts higher than Timberlake's new single, according to US media.
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Spears apologised for offending people she "genuinely cares about"
Spears dated the NSync singer from 1999, when she was aged 17, to 2002.
And after becoming pregnant, she had been unsure whether having an abortion was the right decision, the Baby One More Time singer wrote in her autobiography, released in October 2023.
"If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it," she wrote.
"And yet Justin was so sure that he didn't want to be a father."
The allegations sparked a social-media backlash - and Timberlake appeared to turn off comments on his Instagram for a while.
He has not publicly responded - but in 2021, wrote on Instagram: "I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.
"I specifically want to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed."
Spears has been married three times and has two children with her second husband, dancer Kevin Federline.
Also in her book, the Toxic singer documented her controversial conservatorship.
Calling herself a "child robot", she claimed her father told her he had assumed legal control of her personal and professional affairs, by saying: "I am Britney Spears now."
And last week, following rumours she was planning a return to the studio, Spears said she would "never return to the music industry".
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X has confirmed it’s preventing users from searching Taylor Swift’s name after pornographic deepfakes of the artist began circulating on the platform this week. Visitors to the site started noticing on Saturday that some searches containing Swift’s name would only return an error message. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal on Saturday night, Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, said, “This is a temporary action and done with an abundance of caution as we prioritize safety on this issue.” This step comes days after the problem first became known.
X’s handling of the issue from the start has drawn criticism that it’s been slow to curb the spread of nonconsensual, sexually explicit images. After the images went viral on Wednesday, Swift’s fans took matters into their own hands to limit their visibility and get them removed, mass-reporting the accounts that shared the images and flooding the hashtags relating to the singer with positive content, NBC News reported earlier this week. Many of the offending accounts were later suspended, but not before they’d been seen in some cases millions of times. The Verge reported on Thursday that one post was viewed more than 45 million times.
In a statement posted on its platform later that day, X said, “Posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content. Our teams are actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them. We're closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed. We're committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all users.”
But it was still possible to find the images in days after. 404Media traced the likely origin of the images to a Telegram group known for creating nonconsensual AI-generated images of women using free tools including Microsoft Designer. In an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Friday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the issue highlights what is the company’s responsibility, and “all of the guardrails that we need to place around the technology so that there’s more safe content that’s being produced.” He continued to say that “there’s a lot to be done there, and a lot being done there,” but also noted that the company needs to “move fast.”
Dakota Johnson described Taylor Swift as the “most powerful person in America” while making a dig at Donald Trump during her “Saturday Night Live” monologue.
The two-time “SNL” host – who was joined by musical guest Justin Timberlake for the live taping over the weekend – reflected on her first time hosting the NBC comedy staple.
“The last time I hosted was right after the ‘SNL’ 40th [anniversary]. I was actually in the audience for that special,” the “50 Shades of Grey” star explained, as a photo from the 2015 special flashed on screen.
“Look at this collection of people: Sarah Palin, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg,” Johnson, 34, went on.
“And look who’s sitting right behind me,” she added, as the camera zoomed in on the former Republican president.
The actress hosted the sketch comedy show for the second time Saturday night. Rosalind O'Connor/NBCShe described Swift as the “most powerful person in America.” WavyPeter / SplashNews.com
“Crazy to be standing so close to someone who would become the most powerful person in America,” Johnson quipped, as the camera then shifted to the “Cruel Summer” singer, who was also in the audience at the time.
Of course, Swift, 34, is no stranger to the hallowed halls of “SNL” at 30 Rock.
Johnson, who bundled up in a coat while heading into the 30 Rock studios, was joined by musical guest Justin Timberlake. GC Images
“They were very touchy-feely [backstage]. They were very cute and supportive of each other,” a source told Page Six at the time.
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Johnson, for her part, reunited with Timberlake, 42, during her hosting gig, more than a decade after they starred in “The Social Network” together.
Swift most recently made a surprise appearance on the set of the NBC show with boyfriend Travis Kelce. chariah/Instagram
Timberlake and the “How To Be Single” star appeared together in a scene from the 2010 flick, about the rise of Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, which Johnson acknowledged during her monologue.
“What are you doing up here, are you lost?” she asked the “Sexyback” singer, as he showed up on stage upon hearing his name mentioned.
Later in the night, the *NSYNC performer sang his 2013 hit “Mirrors” along with new tracks “Sanctified” and “Selfish.”
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After an exhaustive yearlong search to find the show’s next host, Jon Stewart is returning to The Daily Show on a part-time basis, just in time for the 2024 election season. But he won’t be doing it alone. He’ll host Monday night’s broadcast beginning Feb. 12, with a roster of rotating correspondents from Tuesday to Thursday. For some, his return speaks to the dire state of late-night TV.
Stewart left the chair of the satirical news program in 2015, and ever since his absence, the show has taken a dive. The Daily Show cable audience has declined by 75%, from 2.2 million to 570,000 viewers a night, while its viewers’ median age, which was 48 in the mid-2010s, is now 63. Between cord-cutting, a plethora of streamers — including the ever dominant Netflix — podcasts, YouTube, and the rise of HBO’s John Oliver, it’s unclear whether the 61-year-old Stewart can save the Comedy Central mainstay.
The longtime host left for no other reason than he wasn’t getting the same satisfaction from it, he told The Guardian in 2015.
“These things are cyclical,” Stewarts explained. “You have moments of dissatisfaction, and then you come out of it and it’s OK. But the cycles become longer and maybe more entrenched, and that’s when you realize, ‘OK, I’m on the back side of it now.’”
‘The Daily Show’ host Jon Stewart sits behind a desk in his New York office during an interview on December 5, 2002. Barbara Alper/Getty Images
On The Daily Show, Stewart quickly became the nation’s most celebrated critic of the media and politics: annihilating Fox News broadcasters, expressing outrage against racially unjust killings, and raising the profile of Harvard professor turned Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. But the comedian was ready for a new adventure.
Stewart directed films like 2014’s critically acclaimed Rosewater, about journalist Maziar Bahari’s brutal 118-day detainment in Iran’s Evin Prison, and 2020’s Irresistible, a political satire starring his former Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell that made less than $500,000 at the box office, owing to mixed reviews and a June 2020 release date amid the Covid pandemic. He began serving as an executive producer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, occasionally popping up on the late-night program to banter with his ex-Daily Show colleague. Stewart even made a pair of appearances on WWE’s SummerSlam, helping Seth Rollins defeat John Cena by hitting him with a steel chair.
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In November 2015, he signed a four-year deal to produce digital content for HBO platforms, with programming chief Casey Bloys explaining at the TCAs that, “He is establishing an animation studio. He wants to get material out on a daily basis. The idea is that it’s an animated parody of a cable news network in an Onion-like portal. It will be his voice, in his actual voice, and his tone.”
The project required animators to create complex animations within a single-day turnaround, and it was ultimately scrapped in 2017.
“What Jon was trying to do, which was to get an animation turnaround time of one day, is a very difficult thing to do,” Bloys said during the 2017 TCAs, adding that Stewart did get the turnaround time down to about two days. “It’s very difficult to do. There’s a reason it hasn’t been done.”
“Once Jon realized that he could get close on the animation, what he realized also was in terms of the quality control and in terms of the writing, when you’re putting something out a couple of times a day, the quality control still has to be here,” Bloys added. “It just got to a point where it was like, is this worth his time? Is this worth our time? We kind of thought, ‘You know what? It was a good try, but ultimately not worth it.’”
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It just got to a point where it was like, is this worth his time? Is this worth our time? We kind of thought, ‘You know what? It was a good try, but ultimately not worth it.’
In lieu of the animated series, and with two years left on his contract, Bloys and HBO announced that Stewart would be doing two stand-up specials for the network — his first since 1996’s Jon Stewart: Unleavened. But those never materialized either.
Stewart has also, most notably, spent a great deal of time lobbying on behalf of 9/11 first responders — both during his time on The Daily Show and after leaving. In 2019, he made a pair of trips to Congress to advocate against the compensation cap for 9/11 first responders and for funding their Victims Compensation Fund in perpetuity. His emotional testimony in front of a half-empty Congress went viral, with Stewart saying, in part, “I’m sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic. But I’m angry, and you should be too, and they’re all angry as well and they have every justification to be that way. There is not a person here, there is not an empty chair on that stage that didn’t tweet out, “Never Forget the heroes of 9/11. Never forget their bravery. Never forget what they did, what they gave to this country.” Well, here they are. And where are they? And it would be one thing if their callous indifference and rank hypocrisy were benign, but it’s not. Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: time. It’s the one thing they’re running out of.”
The bill was ultimately passed, with Republicans Rand Paul and Mike Lee being the only holdouts.
Once his HBO contract ended, Stewart signed a multi-year deal with Apple TV+. And his talk show The Problem with Jon Stewart was born — showing us a far less comedic, far more serious version of Stewart that audiences struggled to connect with. During the show’s premiere, Stewart spoke with veterans about their health issues stemming from burn pits, and how the VA often failed to cover their long-term treatment. Stewart’s advocacy on the issue resulted in the passing of the Honoring Our Pact Act of 2022, with Congress devoting nearly $800 billion to help veterans deal with the long-term effects of toxic exposure during their military service.
Unfortunately, the comedian hit another bump in the road in 2023 when his Apple TV+ show The Problem With Jon Stewartcame to an end over creative differences between the streamer and the host. As its third season was set to kick off, potential topics around China and artificial intelligence concerned Apple execs, TheNew York Times reported, and “as the 2024 presidential campaign begins to heat up, there was potential for further creative disagreements,” a source told the Times.
So, Stewart hit the road in September 2023 to join friends John Mulaney and Pete Davidson on a stand-up comedy tour, stopping in spots like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. (Both Mulaney and Stewart also had cameo appearances in Davidson’s Peacock show, Bupkis.)
Over at The Daily Show, chaos ensued. The hosting seat was vacated in December 2022, when Stewart’s hand-picked successor, Trevor Noah, abruptly announced his departure after seven years on the job. There was immense pressure to find a replacement, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios CEO Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, and in the meantime the role was filled with guest hosts like Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, Chelsea Handler, and Leslie Jones, as well as then-correspondent Roy Wood Jr. and ex-correspondent Michelle Wolf. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McCarthy sought the counsel of Stewart’s manager, James Dixon, as well as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stewart himself.
Soon, comedian and former Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj appeared to be the frontrunner to host. But a New Yorker story detailing the comic’s long history of making up elaborate, often racially-charged stories in stand-up sets for laughs made it less likely. Minhaj’s deal to replace Noah was actually finalized by late summer, The Hollywood Reporter noted, but abandoned after the bombshell article’s allegations.
If that wasn’t enough, eight-year Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. announced his departure in October. He told Rolling Stone what his decision came down to.
“There’s a world where I still get offered the show, and there’s a world where I get offered something else,” Wood Jr. told Rolling Stone. “But I just know that to figure out what I want to do next, just as a contingency and cover my own ass, I can’t do that while I’m doing my job as correspondent. It would disrespect the job of correspondent.”
As The Daily Show accepted the Emmy for outstanding variety talk series earlier this month, Wood Jr. could be seen mouthing “please hire a host.” And so, at long last, they did. Sorta. Staffers on The Daily Show were informed of Stewart’s part-time arrangement on the morning of Jan. 24, when McCarthy brought out Stewart and shared the news.
Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!
5’7” ish
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14.8 second 40#Blessed#NILBABY#TDSnation#LFGM
McCarthy described Stewart in a statement on the hiring, as the “voice of our generation” who will “ help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season.” After all, Stewart did take home 22 Emmys during his 16-year reign.
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“In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit,” McCarthy added.
