Ryan Tubridy and agent Noel Kelly to appear before TDs

Former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly will appear before TDs next week to answer questions around misstated payments made by RTÉ to Mr Tubridy between 2017 and 2022.

In a letter via their solicitor to the Oireachtas Committee on Media, sent on Tuesday morning, the pair said they “wish to fully co-operate and assist” with the committee’s investigations.

“They believe that they have important information that will assist the committee,” the letter said.

Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly will meet the committee privately before facing questions at a public meeting, which could happen as early as next or the week after that.

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The letter states that both Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly wish to “fully co-operate and assist” with the media committee’s investigations into RTÉ expenditure and governance issues.

“They believe that they have important information that will assist the committee in its examination of these issues and clarify a number of matters that have raised.”

It also says that both parties will attend the committee at a suitable time next week and they would welcome the opportunity to set out their positions and take “appropriate questioning” from the committee.

A booklet of relevant documents will be prepared in advance of Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly appearing, which will be circulated among TDs before the meeting.

Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed the willingness of the pair to come before the committee and said their contributions will be beneficial. He also said he would like to hear from former director general Dee Forbes when she is well enough to do so.

The decision of Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly to appear comes after the Public Accounts Committee threatened to use its powers to compel them to appear at a later date.

The PAC had a private meeting scheduled for Thursday morning to agree upon official invites to the RTÉ star and his agent. If they did not respond to that, then members of the committee were set to use their power to order them to do so. Under the law, it would have been an offence for them not to abide by such an instruction from the committee.

Multiple politicians including the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had urged Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly to appear before the two committees. It is understood that the Committee on Media will make arrangements shortly to meet with the two next week, with committee members expressing a willingness to sit throughout the summer if needed.