Joe Duffy has addressed his possible RTÉ exit.
This comes after a new report revealed that the popular radio host told the station’s Director General Kevin Bakhurst, that he will not be seeking a new contract for his services as a contractor through his company Claddaghgreen Ltd with the broadcaster next year.
The host has been with the broadcaster since 1989.
During a conversation with a member of the public on Liveline yesterday, Joe briefly spoke about the comment.
The caller had shared that he was “shown the door” in the Savoy cinema in Dublin as he only had cash on him.
Joe went on to claim that he too may be “shown the door” in a years time.
The host said: “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
Later on in the show, another caller spoke about Mr. Bakhurst’s comments and said: “But darling we have to talk about you because if we didn’t have you on the programme, you wouldn’t have a bloody programme.”
To which Joe replied: “I cannot allow you to talk about me on the programme. I haven’t made a decision, maybe others have.”
It is understood Joe’s contract is up in the middle of this year, with his salary currently being the second highest paid at the station.
Mr. Bakhurst confirmed to The Irish Mirror: “Joe Duffy has made it clear he is not looking for a new contract when he finishes this contract. You have to ask him. I don’t want to start talking out of school.”
When asked at the time by the publication what his future plans with the station were, the 68-year-old reportedly said that he had nothing to add to Mr. Bakhurst’s comments.
The radio host previously said on air last June: “The way I look at it is my negotiations in 2019 which will go on now to 2025 are more than likely the last time I’ll be negotiating with RTÉ, unless God decides otherwise or RTÉ decides otherwise. I’m not getting any younger!”
In 2016, he previously revealed he had lengthy negotiations with Newstalk at the time and revealed he turned down a “much greater” offer than his current salary at the State broadcaster.
The Liveline host said he had ultimately turned down an “absolutely incredible” offer because, he said, “I believe in RTÉ [and] I believe in public service”.
This comes after RTÉ released their list of top-earners of 2022, with Joe topping in second of the list, having earned €351,000 that year.
The list followed the publication by RTÉ in February 2023 of earnings for its highest-paid presenters in 2020 and 2021, and the correction of the public record in relation to the information RTÉ previously provided regarding Ryan Tubridy’s earnings from RTÉ during the period 2017-2022.
RTÉ Deputy Director-General, Adrian Lynch said: “Today we are publishing the total earnings from RTÉ by our highest-paid presenters for 2022 along with the restated earnings for 2021.”
“As previously confirmed by Kevin Bakhurst, going forward, details of RTÉ’s highest paid presenters will be published annually as part of RTÉ’s Annual Report starting with RTÉ’s 2023 Annual Report which will be published later this year.”
“While RTÉ has committed to reducing the cost of its highest paid presenters to ensure that no contractors or employees will earn more than the Director-General, our presenters play an important role in RTÉ’s provision of vital news, information and entertainment to audiences right across the country and enable us to generate commercial revenue which is essential to fund RTÉ’s public services.”
Ryan Tubridy topped the list with earnings of €515,000, matching the same reinstated figure for 2021.
Joe followed in behind the former Late Late Show presenter, while Claire Byrne came in third, having earned €320,833 in 2022.
