The 2 Johnnies to return to air on 2FM after video-clip controversy

A new RTÉ 2FM show presented by The 2 Johnnies comedy duo is to return to air on Monday, March 14th, the radio station has said.

It comes after the show, Drive It with The 2 Johnnies, was temporarily taken off air last week days after it started while RTÉ reviewed a video in which comments about women were made that the duo later said were “offensive”.

RTÉ said on Tuesday it had “engaged intensively” with The 2 Johnnies in respect of “breaches” of its social media guidelines and the “standards expected with RTÉ content”.

The Co Tipperary pair have hosted a podcast – separate to their RTÉ show – under their stage name, The 2 Johnnies, since 2018. In a recent video clip from the podcast posted on social media, the two presenters read out a series of vulgar car bumper stickers sent into them by listeners, several of which included derogatory references to women.

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The video has since been deleted, and the two presenters have apologised for the language in the clip. In a statement the pair said: “This is not who we are nor what we stand for. We aim to do better in the future. We are not perfect and we are learning all the time.”

"We reviewed the content and found that our social media guidelines were breached. We took this very seriously. So seriously that The 2 Johnnies were taken off air," Dan Healy, head of RTÉ 2FM, said in a statement.

“They have apologised and we’ve been talking since about where we go from here. They are aware of the standards we expect and are absolutely committed to upholding them. We are looking forward to working with The 2 Johnnies as we work together to bring a fresh approach to drivetime,” he said.

“That’s the job they were taken on to do and the show we want to offer the audience. We’re going to continue working on this in advance of the show returning to air on Monday, March 14th.”

‘Very intense’

A statement by The 2 Johnnies said the past week had been “very intense” and they were “extremely excited about returning to our daily drivetime show”.

“We had a great welcome at 2FM last week and are eager to work with Dan [Healy] and the 2FM family again, acknowledging the lessons we’ve learned and committing to put these into action.”

It was “a privilege to get the chance to have a national conversation five days a week” via the show, the pair’s statement said.

“We appreciate that with this comes great responsibility and a lot is now expected of us.”