RTÉ paid for Donie O'Sullivan flights before cancelling Late Late appearance

RTÉ paid for flights for Irish CNN journalist Donie O’Sullivan to appear on The Late Late Show, before cancelling his appearance at the last minute.

The flights, costing up to €2,000, were already booked and paid for before the lineup change, the Irish Examiner reports.

Mr O'Sullivan did not appear on the show, Patrick Kielty's first as presenter, with the 2 Johnnies appearing instead.

The change was made the same day RTÉ’s Director General Kevin Bakhurst announced a hiring freeze and stopped all discretionary spending.

RTÉ did not respond to requests from the Irish Examiner over the costs of the flight.

An RTÉ spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on editorial decisions however, we’re big fans of Donie O’Sullivan on The Late Late Show and we hope to have him on before the end of the season.”

Sources told the Examiner that the flights cost up to €2,000 or more, and it was too late to re-schedule the flight.

The Late Late Show's most senior producer has also departed the show just four weeks into its new season.

Executive producer Jane Murphy oversaw the relaunch of the show, with new presenter Patrick Kielty, but she has now left her role.