WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will not take part in a traditional Super Bowl pre-show interview this year after Fox Corporation called off the sit-down, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
“The President was looking forward to an interview with Fox Soul to discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans. We’ve been informed that Fox Corp has asked for the interview to be cancelled,” Jean-Pierre tweeted Friday afternoon.
A request for comment from Fox was not immediately returned.
The Super Bowl sit-down goes back decades, including 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 a regular occurrence under then-President Barack Obama. Donald Trump also participated in the interview every year other than 2018. NBC was the host network for the game that year.
Fox is airing the 2023 Super Bowl, which takes place this weekend in Phoenix between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Fox Soul is a streaming network within the company, which is described on its website as “a new live and interactive streaming channel dedicated to the African American viewer. The programs aim to celebrate black culture and deal with real topics that impact the everyday lives of the black community through frank and insightful dialogue with local and national influencers.”
Biden previously sat 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 Bronston contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
