Donald Trump during the most recent primary debate. Thomson Reuters Fox News canceled on Wednesday a Republican presidential debate set to take place next week.

It confirmed that the cable network canceled the debate in Utah after Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich decided to bow out of Monday's scheduled event.

"This morning, Donald Trump announced he would not be participating in the debate. Shortly afterward, John Kasich's campaign announced that without Trump at the debate, Kasich would not participate," Fox News Executive Vice President Michael Clemente said in a statement.

He continued: "Ted Cruz has expressed a willingness to debate Trump or Kasich — or both. But obviously, there needs to be more than one participant. So the Salt Lake City debate is canceled."

A source close to the matter told Business Insider that the statement was delayed after the initial report broke on Wednesday because Clemente was still attempting to salvage the debate.

Though the event was announced late last month, in several Wednesday-morning television interviews Trump said that nobody told him about the contest, and maintained that there have already been too many debates.

"I'm doing a major speech in front of a very important group of people — I think it's eight or nine thousand people — that night. And it was scheduled awhile ago. And nobody told me there were going to be more debates," Trump said on "Fox & Friends."

"I think we've had enough debates. We've had 11 or 12 debates," he added.

Kasich's campaign suggested that the governor would not participate after Trump backed out.

"No debate in SLC Monday due to Trump backing out. No surprise Trump avoiding contrast. Utah: @JohnKasich headed your way Fri," Kasich's chief strategist, John Weaver, tweeted on Wednesday.

The news was first reported by the Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah.