O’Connor addressed the controversy on his RTÉ radio show.
RTÉ presenter Brendan O’Connor has spoken out about the Ryan Tubridy payment scandal, saying that he believes the ordeal has left members of the public feeling “foolish”.
His comments come after the RTÉ Board last month revealed that Tubridy’s annual earnings between 2017 and 2022 had been understated by the broadcaster.
The RTÉ Board said that the former Late Late host was paid over €300,000 more during this time than initially declared.
Opening his RTÉ Radio 1 show on Saturday (1 July), O’Connor addressed the controversy, stating:
“Look, obviously a lot of people wanted to talk to me about this in the last week. We hear a lot that people are very angry.
“I think with a lot of people there’s something slightly more subtle in a way than anger going on.
“I think people feel foolish. I think a lot of people… ordinary people out there, license fee payers and so on feel that they were made fools of by some people.”
O’Connor added that this feeling is “a hard one for people” and that it does “give rise to anger”, as well as “a kind of a hurt as well”
“[Being] made to feel foolish in not a nice thing,” he concluded.
O’Connor’s remarks come as he confirmed his annual salary is €245,004. He received the same salary in 2021.
The broadcaster is one of many big names in RTÉ who has publicly revealed their earnings following the Tubridy scandal.
Claire Byrne, Miriam O’Callaghan, and Joe Duffy have also declared their salaries publicly in the past week.
Read more:
- Government reportedly planning to split RTÉ in two following hidden payments scandal
- Late Late Show’s upcoming season will be a lot shorter, confirms RTÉ
- RTÉ’s chief financial officer says he does not know his ‘exact salary’
- Center Parcs opt against renewing sponsorship of The Ryan Tubridy Show
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