Bernard O’Shea has addressed the possibility of returning to RTÉ 2FM, after the departure of his former co-host Jennifer Zamparelli.
Jennifer Zamparelli confirmed she was leaving the station last month after 10 years, following the exit announcements of Doireann Garrihy and The 2 Johnnies.
The comedian previously co-hosted Breakfast Republic with Jennifer and Keith Walsh for five years before they were replaced in the slot by Doireann Garrihy and Eoghan McDermott in 2019.
During an interview with the Irish Independent, Bernard was asked to comment on the station losing four of its top stars in a matter of weeks.
“For me, it has been seven or eight years ago I worked there. So because I was out of it for so long, I wasn’t keeping an eye on it to be honest,” he said.
“She [Zamparelli] did amazingly, I think she was there in total for 10 years, which is phenomenal. But every radio station changes their line-up.
“My own experience in radio is you’re in and out of gigs all the time.”
When asked if he would consider returning to the station, the comedian said he wouldn’t rule anything out.
“I would never say never to anything, but stand-up is my first love,” he replied.
Bernard also spoke about becoming a stay-at-home dad during the pandemic, which influenced the material in his new stand-up show Desperate House Husband.
During this time, Bernard moved to Limerick with his wife Lorna and their three children – Olivia, Tadhg and Sean.
“For us it happened [because of] Covid. I have no full-time job. I have never had full-time work,” he said. “During Covid all the gigs had stopped, and all the telly had stopped. So I had to do it. It was the circumstance for us.”
“It’s brilliant… I am there. I pick them up, I drop them off, I put chicken dippers in the air fryer,” he joked.
“[In my show] I will be talking about struggling to find parking outside supermarkets, being driven to despair trying to put in car seats. I have basically spent the past five years hoping my kids don’t spill various milk-based products on my couch.”
