IT IS POSSIBLE that undisclosed payments to RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy had some bearing on his decision to step down as the host of The Late Late Show in March, the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee has heard.
The national broadcaster has been engulfed in crisis after it was revealed last week that it had under-reported Tubridy’s salary by a total of €345,000 over the period 2017 to 2022.
Tubridy has denied that his decision to step down from the Late Late was connected to the payments.
Tubridy announced that on 16 March that he would be leaving the Late Late but continue on his weekday radio show.
A number of RTÉ executives and board members appeared before Oireachtas committees to answer questions about the controversy.
Adrian Lynch, interim director general of RTÉ, had previously said that based on the timeline, he did not believe the secret payments were linked to him stepping down from the Late Late.
Answering questions from Sinn Féin TD John Brady, Lynch said that when Tubridy told him he was stepping down, he “didn’t realise that actually the CFO had had contact from the auditors on – whatever it was – March 10 or whatever.”
He said he believed he learned on 13 March that Tubridy was stepping down.
Brady asked: “Okay, so Ryan Tubridy could well have been informed by somebody that this process or these concerns had been raised?”
Lynch said: “Based on the information from yesterday, it’s possible.”
Tubridy issued two statements last week about the controversy: he initially said the issue was a matter for RTÉ, but in a second statement he apologised for failing to ask questions about the discrepancy in his pay as reported by RTÉ and his actual salary.
He said in the second statement: “I also wish to respond to suggestions that this issue had some bearing on my decision to step down from hosting the Late Late Show. It did not.”
Lynch also said it was ultimately his decision to take Tubridy off air in the aftermath of the scandal.
He said he made the decision in consultation with the director of content.
Asked by independent TD Verona Murphy if this decision was put to RTE’s board, Lynch said: “No.”
Board chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh said it was not the responsibility of the board to get involved in editorial decisions.
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