Ryan Tubridy has admitted he “could be out of a job by Friday” in a shock statement during his meeting with the Oireachtas Media Committee today.
The presenter and his agent Noel Kelly met with the Oireachtas Media Committee this afternoon to face questioning over payments made to him by RTÉ.
During the hearing, Ryan was asked if he’s still being paid from RTÉ while he remains off-air.
The broadcaster confirmed he was, but in a shock statement admitted: “I could be out of a job by Friday.”
The 50-year-old also confessed he’s been in such a “terrible state” over the past three weeks because there’s been “so much misunderstanding” surrounding the scandal.
Ryan told members of the Oireachtas Committee “I have to defend myself” as he answered questions from various TDs.
The presenter also confirmed he still has six events to complete for Renault as part of their commercial agreement, but said he would return the money he’s already been paid for the events if he doesn’t complete them.
RTÉ was plunged into chaos last month when it was revealed that their highest-paid presenter’s earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
The issue was identified during a routine audit of RTÉ’s 2022 accounts, prompting an independent review of the matter.
After the scandal came to light, it emerged that RTÉ underwrote a commercial sponsorship of Ryan by Renault.
The commercial partner only paid €75,000 to Tubridy once in 2020, and RTÉ paid out for the years 2021 and 2022.
RTÉ labelled two invoices of €75,000 payments as “consultancy fees”, and the now-infamous barter account was used to pay them.
Ryan and his agent Noel Kelly have maintained they didn’t know the payments came from RTÉ, and believed they came from Renault.
