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- Fox Corp asked to cancel a Super Bowl interview with President Joe Biden, the White House said.
- Biden was to speak on Fox Soul, a digital television network operated by Fox Television.
- Fox wanted Biden to be interviewed by their top anchors, Variety reported.
President Joe Biden won't participate in a Super Bowl pre-game interview on Sunday.
The White House said Friday that Fox Corporation canceled his interview on Fox Soul, a digital television network "dedicated to the African American viewer" operated by FOX Television Stations.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday tweeted that Biden was looking forward to discussing the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and "critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans" during the interview.
"We've been informed that Fox Corp has asked for the interview to be cancelled," Jean-Pierre tweeted.
Fox wanted Biden to sit down with some of their "top news anchors with no strings attached," Variety reported, quoting a Fox News executive familiar with discussions. The executive called it a "major missed opportunity" for Biden.
A Fox spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
It's customary for the president to give an interview to the network broadcasting the Super Bowl on the day of the game. In 2018, former President Donald Trump declined an interview with NBC News.
On Thursday, CNN reported that Biden had not yet committed to a pre-Super Bowl interview with Fox News, quoting a source at the channel familiar with the matter. Since Fox is airing the Super Bowl, the interview by tradition would go to Fox News.
Biden has not granted the right-leaning network an interview during his presidency, CNN noted.
Lester Holt of NBC News interviewed Biden in 2022 and Norah O'Donnell of CBS in 2021 before the Super Bowl.
This is a developing story.
—Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 10, 2023