COMEDIAN AL PORTER plans to make a return to performing following a five year absence after allegations halted his career.
The former Today FM broadcaster and TV show host published a statement on his website today saying he would “like to make people laugh again”.
In the statement Porter, whose real name is Alan Kavanagh, said his life has changed significantly in the time he has been away from the public eye.
The 29-year-old said he is living with his parents in Tallaght, Dublin, and he is “fit and healthy and a long-time sober [sic].”
The comic claimed that he is regularly asked in public what he will be working on next and what happened to stall his career.
“In November 2017, a series of tweets making allegations against me snowballed into newspaper articles, and eventually more. I took these issues in my personal life very seriously and I decided to walk away from all my work commitments as I couldn’t possibly keep working and deal with everything else too,” he said.
“From the age of 19 my life had been a runaway train, I had been burning the candle at both ends, leaving me overwhelmed and unable to cope.”
Following a series of social media allegations against Porter in 2017 an allegation of sexual assault was made against him to gardaí regarding an incident that was alleged to have taken place in 2016. That case was subsequently dropped in 2019.
Porter said he “wouldn’t wish those two years on anyone”, adding he has received death threats and saw jokes about his suicide.
His statement also detailed an encounter at St Patrick’s hospital in Dublin which resulted in a complaint to the hospital.
“Following investigation, it was concluded that when we posed for a requested photograph outside as I was leaving, I kissed this person on the cheek, while putting my hand on his chest. That was uninvited and made him feel uncomfortable. I accept this and for that I was and still am genuinely sorry,” Porter said.
The comedian said he considered some of the people who made allegations of impropriety against him on social media as “good friends”. He said that, while he remembers events differently, it’s clear to him that they “deserved a better friend”.
“I know now I had to listen and grow up and make changes in my life. I should have been a better colleague and a better friend,” he said.
“Reflecting on that time in my life, from 19 to 23, it’s obvious to me now that I was hugely immature. Career-wise, I was composed. But in my personal life I could be a mess, oblivious to the times I was obnoxious. I wasn’t considerate enough of others because I was too busy thinking the world revolved around me.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, I was an idiot. I let my family and friends down. I let my partner down, who has been with me since before and through all this. I let my community down, Tallaght, the comedy scene and the LGBTQ community. I let down the people I worked with. And I let down the people who came to my shows and have always supported me,” he said.
The entertainer said he has “spent the entire second half of my adult life growing, learning and making amends” and added he will now “let my actions speak for me, in my work and in my life”.
He added that he plans to return to his career but did not reveal any details about any upcoming projects.
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