Ryan Tubridy meets Piers Morgan in London as speculation continues on next move

Tubridy’s future the focus of intense public and media attention since he disappeared from airwaves at outset of RTÉ pay controversy

Former RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy at a meeting of the Oireachtas media committee in July. Photograph: Oireachtas TV
Former RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy at a meeting of the Oireachtas media committee in July. Photograph: Oireachtas TV

Speculation about Ryan Tubridy’s next job move intensified on Tuesday following a series of social media posts from London, including one alongside TV presenter Piers Morgan.

Just over two weeks since RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said contract negotiations with the former radio star had broken down, Tubridy has conspicuously popped up in the English capital.

“The sacked presenter club!” Morgan quipped on X (formerly Twitter), captioning a picture of him and Tubridy together.

“Great to see Ireland’s biggest TV star Ryan Tubridy in London today, and excited to see what he does next. RTE’s loss will definitely be someone else’s gain.”

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That latter claim will fuel further conjecture over where the former RTÉ Late Late Show presenter will next find a broadcasting home. Tubridy had previously been linked to rumours of a UK move having stood in for Graham Norton on his BBC Radio show in 2011.

In a separate post on Instagram on Tuesday, Tubridy praised the famous London book shop Daunt, filming himself outside.

Tubridy’s future has been the focus of intense public and media speculation since he first disappeared from the airwaves at the outset of controversy over RTÉ’s management of his pay in June.

He was said to have been “shocked and disappointed” by RTÉ’s eventual decision to end talks for his return, even though Mr Bakhurst said “the door is not shut forever”.

Tubridy once said he had found it difficult adjusting to a British audience although he has had fill-in jobs there from 2011 to 2015 on BBC Radio 2 where he covered for Graham Norton, Ken Bruce, Simon Mayo and the late Terry Wogan.

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times