Joe Biden & Fox News Entered Into the Most Bizarre Face-Off Over His Super Bowl Interview

In what was the most on-again, off-again interview, President Joe Biden’s team has officially announced that his pre-Super Bowl sit-down won’t happen with Fox News — but it will happen with one of their TV streaming divisions. Fox Soul. The digital network, that caters to Black audiences, scored the interview with the president with sportscaster Mike Hill and actress Vivica A. Fox fielding the questions.

Traditionally, the Super Bowl interview with the President of the United States goes to the network that airs the big game that year. It was started by President George W. Bush in 2004, but it became an annual event with President Barack Obama. Things got tricky during Donald Trump’s administration because he was picky over who could speak with him — Fox News and CBS News got the green light, but NBC News found themselves shut out in the cold in 2018. 

It looks like Joe Biden took a page from Donald Trump’s playbook but added a curveball. He has not sat down with the often critical conservative network once so far in his administration. Instead, his advisers thought that Fox Soul would be a meaningful way to discuss “critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted on Friday. However, the network didn’t seem to appreciate that compromise and Jean-Pierre added, “We’ve been informed that Fox Corp has asked for the interview to be cancelled.”

Several hours later, Fox Corp. suddenly had a change of heart, and the once-canceled interview was back on. “After the White House reached out to Fox Soul Thursday evening, there was some initial confusion,” The company said in a statement, via The Hollywood Reporter. “Fox Soul looks forward to interviewing the President for Super Bowl Sunday.”

Whatever shenanigans were happening behind the scenes appear to be over (for now), but it proves that the Biden administration is not playing around with some of the right-wing media. He’s looking for some bipartisan support to get America back on track.

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