Pat Kenny says Tubridy has been 'tarnished' and 'will probably look overseas'

James Cox

Pat Kenny has said RTÉ "ruined" Ryan Tubridy's reputation, adding that his Late Late Show successor will "probably look overseas" for his next role.

Mr Kenny also discussed his departure from the national broadcaster, and his role with Newstalk, in a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Independent.

The RTÉ pay scandal that ultimately led to Mr Tubridy's departure erupted over undisclosed payments made to him.

Mr Kenny feels these would have never come to light if Mr Tubridy had not stepped down from The Late Late Show.

"If Ryan hadn’t left The Late Late Show, none of this would have happened. He would have been too valuable an asset to RTÉ. But because Ryan had left, in their eyes he had lost value. He was more disposable. Then they got the numbers wrong — the €120,000. How they got that wrong is a mystery to me. With all the accountancy and audits?

"And then they came out with excuses that didn’t make sense. And in the process they effectively ruined Ryan’s reputation. Some would say Noel Kelly’s too. I have no doubt Noel was damaged by what they did."

He described the RTÉ pay scandal as "an avoidable mess".

Mr Kenny said Mr Tubridy has been "tarnished" by RTÉ.

"This is a very small pond and [he’s] a big enough fish in a small pond.

"But there are limits to what you can expect to earn and achieve. He will probably look overseas. I think he’s been tarnished here, and the kind of radio work he wants to do, he has got to be liked. If he’s fighting an uphill battle because of what RTÉ did and the whole saga of that negotiation, it might just be an uphill battle here. But then, time heals."

Discussing his own departure from RTÉ, Mr Kenny said one of the reasons behind his decision was the move to discontinue his current affairs show, The Frontline. He said he did not enjoy working on Primetime afterwards.