No indication of Patrick Kielty salary deal ahead of him becoming fourth ‘Late Late Show’ presenter

The national broadcaster would not comment on suggestions that the show is to be reduced by half-an-hour and said it “does not discuss contracts or negotiations”.

The comedian and new host was not available to speak with reporters in relation to RTÉ, the Late Late Show or the scandal of the hidden payments to his predecessor, Ryan Tubridy, ahead of an event for a documentaries festival in Belfast yesterday evening.

A spokesperson for RTÉ said the broadcaster “is not ready to launch The Late Late Show plans” as of yet and didn’t want to “take away from the documentary festival”.

The spokesperson said it was not as a result of the payment scandal engulfing the station.

“We want to launch the new season of The Late Late Show properly, later in the summer,” they added.

When asked about the payment scandal in RTÉ as he left yesterday’s event, Kielty said: “I might need a couple extra beers in me before I start that.”

Last week it emerged that presenter Ryan Tubridy was paid €345,000 more than publicly stated between the years 2017 and 2022.

At yesterday’s event, Kielty discussed the death of his father, politics, identity and attending LA parties with John Legend.

The event saw Kielty and former world champion boxer Carl Frampton share their experiences of life in Northern Ireland. Both have been involved in making documentaries about the North in recent years.

The pair praised the impact being made by Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland.

“It’s one of the best pieces of television I’ve ever seen,” said Frampton, whose foray into documentary films has seen him cover mental health issues.

“I honestly think young people in schools should be made to sit down and watch it all.”

Kielty said the programme had shown him how much Northern Ireland needs to see those from different communities as people.

“It brought back memories for me of the week of the Shankill bomb,” he said.

“I had a gig in the Ardoyne cancelled that week but decided to go ahead with it.It was the only time they’ve had to lock the doors from the inside.

“But nearer the time of the Good Friday Agreement I had a show in Newtownards. Mo Mowlam called me for a ticket.

“She said her plus-one was to be Billy Hutchinson.

“She knew even then that we all needed to see each other as people and communicate as people. I’ve always remembered that.”