Ryan Tubridy issues apology following RTÉ payment controversy

"I should have asked questions at the time."

Ryan Tubridy has issued a fresh statement following the fallout of the RTÉ payments controversy that has gripped the nation over the last 24 hours. The former Late Late Show host said that he wished to "apologise unreservedly" for failing to question the discrepancies between his published and actual salary, which amounted to a difference of €345,000 over a period of several years.

"While I have no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTÉ or how or what they publish in their accounts, when my earnings were published I should have asked questions at the time and sought answers as to the circumstances which resulted in incorrect figures being published. I didn't and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so. For this I apologise unreservedly. "At the centre of all of this is trust. The trust of colleagues in RTÉ and the trust of a great many people who listen to my show. To them: I wholeheartedly apologise for my error of judgement."

Ryan Tubridy has issued a new statement in relation payments made to him by RTÉ between 2017 and 2022

"When my earnings were published I should have asked questions... I didn’t, and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so. For this, I apologise unreservedly."#VMNews pic.twitter.com/sJ4ggkG2La — Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) June 23, 2023

In the statement, which was released on Friday afternoon, Tubridy shut down reports that he didn't take a pay cut in his time at RTÉ and also made clear that his stepping down from the Late Late Show had nothing to do with the matter. "I am disappointed that RTÉ has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week," he continued. "I look forward to returning to the radio show, a job I love, as soon as possible and I hope my listeners and my colleagues appreciate my sincerity on this." The 50-year-old responded initially to the controversy on Thursday evening, explaining that he was "surprised" by the revelations. He did not present his radio show on Friday morning. Since the news broke on Thursday, the RTÉ Board has confirmed that Dee Forbes, the Director General for RTÉ, has been suspended from her employment.

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