Executives at 21st Century Fox apparently asked Matt Groening, creator of animated series The Simpsons, to ease up on jokes about Fox News after the show joked the cable news network was 'No. 1 with racists.'

Groening, who was addressing questions during a live panel discussion at the annual Comic-Con event in San Diego, did not specify when the conversation took place, according to The Wrap.

The gag, however, is in reference to an episode that aired in 2010, when a tagline reading 'not racist, but No. 1 with racists' appeared on a Fox News helicopter.

Matt Groening (pictured) revealed Fox executives asked if he could tone down jokes about news channel

The Simpson used a tagline that joked 'not racist, but No. 1 with racists' in 2010

The cartoonist made the statement after an audience member asked if Fox had ever interfered with the creative process of the show.

'We started doing Fox News jokes, and they asked us to take it easy on them,' Groening revealed.

The joke elicited a rebuke from former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who was ousted from the channel earlier this year amid sexual harassment allegations.

'Bill O’Reilly called us pinheads, and look what happened,' Groening quipped.

21st Century Fox declined to comment on Groening's comments when asked by The New York Daily News.

Former host of the O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly (pictured 10/16/2017), rebuked the show for the joke shortly after the episode aired

The panel also candidly admitted that it has turned down celebrity guests in the past that have requested to appear on the show, naming one person in particular.

'Let’s just say he’s the President of the United States,' executive producer Al Jean said referring to Donald Trump.

The comedy show is famous for predicting that Trump would one day win the presidency, with one episode in particular called 'Bart to the Future' that aired in 2000.

Executive producer Matt Selman joked to the audience that the show doesn’t only predict 'terrible' events.

Groening, whose show has often parodied Trump over the years, also led the audience in a 'lock him up!' chant during the seminar, a spoof on the rallying cry of Trump supporters against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

The Simpson's is set to air its 29th season this fall and will return for number 30 the following year, breaking the record for most episodes of any scripted show, among both animated and live-action series.