Brendan O’Carroll has finally broken his silence on Gary Hollywood’s departure from Mrs. Brown’s Boys.
Gary joined the cast of Mrs. Brown’s Boys as Dino Doyle for the stage show in 2004, and also starred in the TV series which began airing on RTE and BBC back in 2011.
However, the actor quit the show in 2020, claiming that he was paid less than other cast members.
Gary even launched legal action against Brendan, the BBC and Hungry Bear Media Limited for discrimination and unfair dismissal.
The actor claimed he was paid less than his co-stars for the chat show All Round To Mrs Brown’s, and alleged he was dropped from one of the Christmas specials just days before they were due to start filming.
However, last June he withdrew all of his claims during a preliminary hearing.
Speaking to The Irish Mirror, Brendan said of his former castmate: “He was a great actor and we miss him. He used to call me father. He was part of the family and we haven’t spoken since and haven’t heard a word from him since.”
Brendan also said Gary’s departure from the show was “out of the blue.”
“I got a call from the office to say Gary has been on to the office and wants his flight home to Spain changed to tomorrow,” Brendan said.
“I was like ‘But we haven’t been to Glasgow [where the show is filmed] yet? We are meant to be isolating. We haven’t started yet’.
“He said if he’s not going to be in both episodes he’s not going to do it. And then he was gone,” he added.
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The news comes after it was revealed that Mrs Brown’s Boys would not be returning to our screens for a new series this year.
According to Fiona O’Carroll, Brendan’s daughter, the show was due to return as a mini series this year, however, it was swept under the rug for “various reasons”.
“There is talk of it happening next year, a possible mini series,” she added. “It is not just down to us, it is down to studio time, it is down to crew and it is down to cast.”
