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Ryan Tubridy (file photo) Alamy Stock Photo

'Zero connection' between Late Late departure and RTÉ pay scandal, Ryan Tubridy says

The presenter is maintaining that his decision to leave the chat show was taken last year.

RYAN TUBRIDY IS adamant that his resignation from the Late Late Show had nothing to do with the RTÉ pay scandal and had already been planned months in advance.

Tubridy said it was “not remotely true” to suggest his sudden retirement was “prompted by this whole debacle” arising from the controversy. 

Instead, Tubridy stressed he “made my initial decision to leave The Late Late pretty much a year ago” and claims he was not made aware of the payments issue until May – two months after he announced his retirement. 

He said he felt “burnt out and exhausted” after the pandemic and wanted to step away from the chat show.

Classing it as the second of seven “untruths”, Tubridy told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee today that any suggestion his decision to retire from the Late Late Show was prompted by this “debacle” was not the case.

“I was not aware of any of this debacle when I decided to retire from the Late Late Show,” he said.

“I made my initial decision to leave The Late Late Show almost a year ago. Around this time, I mentioned it to those closest to me, my family and my agent. They were surprised, very surprised to say the least.

“I explained to them that, among other things, I had left a lot on the studio floor after Covid.

“I was burnt out and exhausted – like so many people in the country. I turned it over in my mind over a few months, but by the time I got to January, I was absolutely certain of my decision.”

Tubridy added: “I was convinced that it was time to go.”

There is ZERO connection between my departure and this very raw situation of recent weeks.

The payments scandal at the national broadcaster came to light within the company in late March.

Timeline

 Internal auditors examining RTÉ’s accounts for 2022 discovered an issue around what the broadcaster has described as “transparency of certain payments”.

The RTÉ Board was informed and its Audit and Risk Committee then commissioned external auditors Grant Thornton to carry out an independent review. Media Minister Catherine Martin was made aware of an issue with RTÉ’s accounts around this time.

It emerged that RTÉ had underreported Tubridy’s earnings by a cumulative total of €345,000. That included a deal with a commercial partner that would see €75,000 paid annually to the presenter.

Speaking today, Tubridy insisted that there is “zero connection” between his departure and the ongoing controversy.

“I informed [RTÉ] management on 13 March of this year. I first became aware of the Grant Thornton review in May – some two months later,” Tubridy said.

“Even then, I had no inkling of the bombshell which was to come when RTÉ released their statement on 22 June.”

He added: “Just to make it abundantly clear, there is zero connection between my departure and this very raw situation of recent weeks.”

Tubridy has not presented his weekday morning radio programme since the issues at RTÉ came to light on 22 June, with RTÉ’s new director general suggesting that his future at the network may hinge on this week’s events.

Tubridy, who became animated when PAC member John Brady questioned the timeline of his departure from The Late Late Show, again insisted that there was no link between the two.

“I will be here until the last dog barks until you believe me that that decision came from my heart and soul and that the kernel of it was last August,” Tubridy said.

Contains reporting by Hayley Halpin

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    Mute S C
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:01 PM

    He defo saw it coming. He was tipped off by your one Forbes. Why would he leave that job to go onto radio? Makes no sense

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Jul 11th 2023, 6:05 PM

    @S C: “To go onto radio”? He has been on radio for years!

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    Mute Derek Hutchings
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:06 PM

    He was tipped off cause the minister for communications was informed in March about the scandal

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    Mute Spudgesh
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    Jul 11th 2023, 4:59 PM

    Burnt out, God love him. Maybe we can get him into the senate.

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    Mute Paraic Bergin
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:15 PM

    On what planet is a reduction from €545,000 to €515,000 equal to 20%? To my simple mind that’s a reduction of €30,000, i.e. 5.5%

    And as for the claimed 40% pay cut from 2012 levels….that would require his 2012 package to have been more than €858,000

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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:33 PM

    At the very least he knowingly was part of a conspiracy to money launder tax payer funds.

    Giving a falsified invoice to a third party – and agreeing to hide its true purpose – then refusing to speak up to perpetuate fraud on the taxpayer… that’s all demonstrably true.

    Claiming he committed fraud cause his employer told him to isn’t a legal defense.

    He was paid 10s of thousands of euro – which cost extra 10s of thousands because it was hidden via the barter account – for work he didn’t do: consultancy.

    He then knew RTE was misstating his wages – and his manager was in cahoots with RTE to launder the money – and didn’t say boo until a public audit found it.

    Here’s the definition of money laundering:

    “Money laundering is the illegal process of hiding the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through a complex system of banking transfers or other transactions”

    Falsifying invoices to receive money, then hiding that money via barter accounts and offshoot companies – that’s what drug gangs do.

    And also apparently our state media and its biggest star and his manager.

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    Mute Derek mac an ucaire
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:10 PM

    Who was it said if you tell a lie big enough and often the people will believe it ?
    emm
    I think it was Gobbels.
    Is that what he meant by I will be here until the last dog barks until you believe me that that decision came from my heart and soul and that the kernel of it was last August,” Tubridy said. Pants are on fire

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    Mute david finglas
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:01 PM

    Zero connection maybe get the Marvel Universe Gang involved

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    Mute Pat the Baker
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:40 PM

    Meanwhile, McEntee is working away on her hate speech bill AND radically replacing the legal definition of sex (i.e. male and female) with “gender” of which there are 100+ and growing while her hubby is enjoying his new perks as Director of Market Access at Abbvie, a pharmaceutical giant who manufacture synthetic hormones which have not never been approved by the Food & Drugs Administration in the USA for use on children suffering from gender dysphoria. These drugs leave young adults sterile (as they were designed to do in the first place to chemically castrate violent male sex offenders and homosexual men such as Alan Turing when it was illegal to be one.
    The stakes are far higher for the people of Ireland if McEntee’s law is progressed but who cares so long as it’s other people’s children who are being manipulated and mutilated.

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    Mute Colette Mooney
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:17 PM

    The PAC and Media Committees need hearing aids. Repeating same questions. All trying to make a name for themselves boring now.

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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:35 PM

    @Colette Mooney: millionaire celebrities are so grateful for your constant defense of their criminality…

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    Mute Quite Frank
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:34 PM

    Who’s the fellow absolutely TEARING into Tubridy right now!? I like the cut of his jib!!

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    Mute Quite Frank
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:37 PM

    @Quite Frank: Ohmygawd.. stop it – he’s already dead!!! This man is TEARING him apart!!!

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    Mute Quite Frank
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:40 PM

    @Quite Frank: Got his name: Senator Shane ‘The Bulldog’ Cassells. That was OUTSTANDING from The Bulldog!

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    Mute Róisín Matthews
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    Jul 11th 2023, 7:24 PM

    @Quite Frank: aggressive

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jul 11th 2023, 6:18 PM

    I feel what’s really missing from his testimony is some well-chosen canned laughter that could be played at the appropriate humourous moment, and there have and will no doubt be many more of those. It would perk things up no end! Then again, it had me in stitches regardless…

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    Mute damien leen
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    Jul 11th 2023, 6:16 PM

    Just a coincidence Tubbers eh!

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    Mute Cst2eu
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    Jul 11th 2023, 6:18 PM

    Ya sure Ryan…

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    Mute Michael o connor
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    Jul 11th 2023, 6:43 PM

    I believe him, Tubs is from a good Fianna Fail background.

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    Mute Chris
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    Jul 11th 2023, 5:29 PM

    Burnt out & exhausted

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    Mute Quinny
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    Jul 11th 2023, 8:39 PM

    The word ” Spoofer” springs to mind !

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    Mute Monty Carlow
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    Jul 11th 2023, 8:00 PM

    Tub berty the 2nd.

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