Louise McSharry has hit out at her former boss Dan Healy over comments he made about her departure from RTÉ 2FM.
The broadcaster announced her shock exit from the radio station in October, after 11 years.
During a recent interview with the Irish Independent’s Weekend Magazine, Louise admitted she felt like “a piece of trash” when her show was axed, and criticised the way bosses handled her departure.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mirror this week, the head of 2FM was asked to comment on Louise’s interview.
Mr Healy said: “I didn’t read the article and that is being honest. The reality is, in the last couple of weeks we put quite a few presenters into different day parts around the schedule and that is tough.”
“And we as a policy do not talk about what people earn, when they come and when they leave. So there was no point wrecking my weekend..”
Responding to Louise’s claims she wasn’t allowed host her final two shows because she announced the news of her departure before they told her to, he said: “All I’ll say is things happened very quickly there that we weren’t expecting that now so in that week I spoke to five people.”
“And spoke to their agents, and by the time we have done that bit and agreed things then normally we would meet the talent but things moved, and she said as I understand from others, that she said in the article that she released her statement although she had agreed something with us.”
“So she moved fast, faster than I thought. I was enjoying my coffee having gone to my GP and got into the car and my phone buzzed.”
“So take responsibility for your own actions too sometimes,” he added.
Louise has since hit back at Dan’s comments on Twitter.
I was told on Tuesday my contract was not being renewed. I was told they would follow my lead in terms of announcement, but that I needed to keep it a secret in the meantime. That day I submitted the statement I planned to release and said I wanted to do it on Friday.
— Louise McSharry (@louisemcsharry) February 11, 2022
In a series of tweets, the 40-year-old explained: “I was told on Tuesday my contract was not being renewed. I was told they would follow my lead in terms of announcement, but that I needed to keep it a secret in the meantime.”
“That day I submitted the statement I planned to release and said I wanted to do it on Friday. The response was very slow, and eventually I was told they wanted me to wait a further week.”
“This meant that I would a) have to be alone with this news, b) do my show that weekend and have planning meetings with my team, who were totally unawares, pretending everything was normal.”
“And c) I would have had to wait for the inevitable leak to the papers and ended up responding to a story instead of announcing my own departure and managing a difficult situation in the way that felt best to me.”
And c) I would have had to wait for the inevitable leak to the papers and ended up responding to a story instead of announcing my own departure and managing a difficult situation in the way that felt best to me.
— Louise McSharry (@louisemcsharry) February 11, 2022
“My team, only two people who worked unbelievably hard to develop my show with me through two of the most difficult years of our collective lives deserved to know. It’s basic respect,” she continued.
“I deserved to seek support from friends and family in such a personally difficult situation. Not forced to be silent ‘in case of leaks’ as I was instructed.”
“I did what I felt was the only option to me, and shared the news in a very respectful manner.”
I did what I felt was the only option to me, and shared the news in a very respectful manner. Clearly this was not in line with whatever announcements or strategy my former boss had in mind, but in this situation I felt it was appropriate to look after myself.
— Louise McSharry (@louisemcsharry) February 11, 2022
“Clearly this was not in line with whatever announcements or strategy my former boss had in mind, but in this situation I felt it was appropriate to look after myself.”
“I have never been anything but professional and respectful of RTÉ up to this point, and I will absolutely not allow Dan Healy to suggest I’m responsible for the way I have been treated as he died [sic] in this article saying: ‘So take responsibility for your own actions too sometimes.’
“Truly I had not planned on speaking any more about any of this, but I have to say my piece when he’s chosen to speak about me in this way,” she added.
