A COMEDY DUO have apologised for the language they used to promote their new radio show on 2FM, which had been criticised for being sexist and demeaning.

The Irish Independent published a story today about a video posted to the presenters’ social media account, in which they read out vulgar statements sent into them, in a segment from their podcast about car ‘bumper stickers’. 

The video has since been deleted.

The comments were criticised by Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns, who told the Irish Independent: ”Sexist comments, in which women are objectified and demeaned, are incredibly insidious and contribute to a toxic culture in which women feel unsafe.”

Today, John O’Brien and John McMahon apologised.

We would like to apologise for the content which appeared on our social media, these posts were offensive and should never been published. This is not who we are nor what we stand for. We aim to do better in the future, we are not perfect and we are learning all the time.

Their 2FM show ‘Drive it with The 2 Johnnies‘ was aired for the first time this week. The 2 Johnnies podcast has 250,000 listeners per week.

Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon released a statement this afternoon in which he said that their comments “were demeaning and lacking in basic respect. They objectified women’s bodies, with absolutely no regard as to their personhood.”

The TD, who is also on member of the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, added:

“Negative attitudes towards women are wired into our brains early in life, and a station that targets young people should be aware of this and act accordingly. The ‘2 Johnnies’ have a huge following across the country, with a particularly significant influence on young men.

In a statement to The Journal, RTÉ confirmed that the matter is now under review.

“RTÉ believes in dignity and respect and does not tolerate material or attitudes of this nature. The 2Johnnies will not be on air today while we review the matter”, the statement said.