RTÉ and The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty have yet to confirm a new contract for the presenter just days before the final episode of the season airs.
Kielty’s initial three-year contract with RTÉ, which began in 2023, expires after Friday’s edition of the show. RTÉ is understood to have been in talks with the presenter and expectations at Montrose are that he will continue in the role, but no conclusion has been reached.
The broadcaster declined to comment on its relationship with Kielty on Tuesday, though its most senior executives have previously indicated they want him to stay on.
“RTÉ does not comment on individual contracts ... We look forward to the programme returning for its 65th year in the autumn,” RTÉ said in a statement.
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A representative of Kielty was contacted for comment.
Discussions about his future on the show have coincided with other pay matters at RTÉ, with the broadcaster awaiting a final sign-off from the Government for a €20,000 pay increase in the basic salary of its director general, Kevin Bakhurst.
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He took up his post in July 2023 and said no presenter at RTÉ would earn more than his own basic salary, which is on track to increase from €250,000 to €270,000, not including a car allowance or pension contributions. Under new Government pay structures, a rise of up to €50,000 had been possible.
Kielty’s current salary for presenting The Late Late Show adheres to this pay cap, with the presenter paid €250,000 a year under his now-expiring contract for 30 episodes per season. If the director general’s pay rise is approved, Kielty and other high-profile RTÉ presenters will be in a position to seek the same increase.
From Dundrum, Co Down, Kielty was announced as the fourth permanent host of the show in May 2023, one week before his predecessor, Ryan Tubridy, hosted his final edition.
A month later, RTÉ admitted it had not fully declared Tubridy’s pay, with the revelation triggering the emergence of a series of corporate governance scandals at the organisation.
Amid political pressure on RTÉ to be fully transparent about presenter pay, Kielty released a statement saying he would be paid €250,000 a season – a lower figure than many had expected before RTÉ was plunged into crisis.
This sum excluded a one-off fee of €20,000 to cover pre-production meetings and rehearsals in 2023. He also waived a right under this contract to submit flight and accommodation expenses and asked RTÉ to carbon offset his flights.
Kielty, who has commuted to RTÉ’s studios each week from his home in London, hosted his first live show in September 2023.
In February, Bakhurst indicated that RTÉ management would have “discussions over the coming months” with Kielty about his Late Late future.
“I’ve made it really clear to Patrick that we all think he’s doing a great job, and we would like to continue that,” he said then.
