Apple CEO Tim Cook personally ordered the removal of dirty jokes from its TV shows, report says
- Apple CEO Tim Cook delayed the release of "Carpool Karaoke," an Apple original series, to edit out profanity from the show, Bloomberg reports.
- "Carpool Karaoke" was meant to be the company's first move into original TV shows and movies.
- Apple is reportedly seeking clean shows and movies with "broad appeal," and plans to invest $1 billion in the effort.
Before Apple released "Carpool Karaoke" in August, company CEO Tim Cook delayed the release of the series - which would have been the company's first original show - in order to have his staff edit out profanity and "references to vaginal hygiene" from the show's episodes, Bloomberg reports.
The show's delay was first reported in April, and Apple did not specify the reasons for the delay at the time.
"Carpool Karaoke" features celebrities like Pharrell Williams, Chelsea Handler, and the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park singing along to songs and conversing in a moving car.
A spinoff from a popular segment featured on James Corden's "The Late Late Show," "Carpool Karaoke" was meant to be Apple's first move in a $1 billion investment in original TV shows and movies. Instead, the company moved ahead with "Planet of the Apps," a "Shark Tank"-like reality show for app developers, which it released in June.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is only pursuing shows and movies with "broad appeal," while avoiding nudity, profanity, and violence - all of which are staples of most hit shows nowadays.
As a result, executives at Apple are turning down pitches for "edgier fare," as they reportedly did with a prospective eight-part series from Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón ("Gravity) and actor Casey Affleck.
Read Bloomberg's article here.