WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will not participate in a traditional pre-Super Bowl interview this year after Fox Corporation canceled the meeting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
«The president was expecting an interview with Fox Soul to discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues affecting the daily lives of African-Americans. We have been informed that Fox Corp has requested that the interview be cancelled,» Jean-Pierre tweeted Friday afternoon
A request for comment from Fox was not immediately returned.
Super Bowl sit-in dates back decades, even under presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The interview, which often touches on lighter topics suitable for a mass football audience, became commonplace under then-President Barack Obama. Donald Trump also participated in the interview every year except 2018. NBC was the host network for the game that year.
Fox is broadcasting Super Bowl 2023, which takes place this weekend in Phoenix between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Fox Soul is a broadcast network within the company, which is described on its website as “a new live, interactive broadcast channel dedicated to the African-American viewer. The programs aim to celebrate Black culture and address real issues that impact the daily lives of the Black community through candid and insightful dialogue with local and national influencers.”
Biden previously sat down for Super Bowl interviews in 2021 with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and in 2022 with NBC’s Lester Holt.
Kelly O’Donnell and Sally Broston contributed.