Mr. Stewart and Apple executives decided to part ways in recent days, two of the people said. Members of the show's staff were informed about its end on Thursday. Taping of episodes for the third season was scheduled to begin within a couple of weeks, one of the people said.

The Apple show, "The Problem," debuted to some fanfare two years ago as Mr. Stewart's return to the talk show format after a six-year hiatus. As host of "The Daily Show" from 1999 to 2015, he turned a low-rated Comedy Central late-night series into a cultural force, becoming one of the nation's best-known media and political critics.

But Mr. Stewart and Apple executives had disagreements over some of the topics and guests on "The Problem," two of the people said. Mr. Stewart told members of his staff on Thursday that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives, a person with knowledge of the meeting said. As the 2024 presidential campaign begins to heat up, there was potential for further creative disagreements, one of the people said.

A representative for Apple declined to comment.