Former RTÉ TV and radio presenter Ryan Tubridy has repaid €150,000 to his former employer for fees made to him as part of a deal with previous Late Late Show sponsor Renault. The deal was brokered by his agent Noel Kelly and the national broadcaster in 2020. Tubridy was to be paid a total of €225,000 for three corporate events over three years by RTÉ.
Underwritten
The payments, which were underwritten by RTÉ, were at the centre of a controversy as they were not listed in the broadcaster’s annual accounts as salary payments. Tubridy later indicated that he would repay the money if he returned to RTÉ. He now works for Virgin Radio in the UK and his shows are broadcast on Q102 and other News Corp stations.
When RTÉ’s director general Kevin Bakhurst was asked in 2023 if Tubridy should repay the €150,000, he said that it might not be possible legally for the broadcaster to recoup the money. However, he added, that there was a “moral case” for the fee to be repaid.
