A letter sent by now-former RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes to Ryan Tubridy during the pandemic appears to have guaranteed that the then-Late Late Show host would not receive a pay cut from the state broadcaster.
The letter, sent in July 2020, was addressed to Tubridy at his Tuttle Productions Limited company, in Calmount Office Park in Ballymount, Dublin.
The letter assured the TV and radio veteran that his pay would not be cut between 1 April 2020 to March 31 2025.
Forbes wrote in the letter, which was submitted to TDs: "The purpose of this correspondence is to record in writing our guarantee and undertaking that the fees set out in this agreement will be paid by RTÉ without any reductions and RTÉ shall not make any request or enquiry from you in relation to a reduction in the agreed fees during the currency of the agreement save as to those that might be imposed by changes to legislation."
However, Tubridy took a pay cut of €55,000 or 11 per cent between 2019 and 2021, bringing his pay down. Despite this, it emerged two weeks ago that the presenter received €345,000 in secret payments.
Throughout the period he was receiving these payments, Tubridy spoke with numerous national media outlets who questioned him on whether a presenter should be paid more than the Taoiseach.
Each time the Dubliner shrugged it off by stating that he has been taking pay cuts and that the market decides how much he should be paid.
One month after the letter was sent, in August 2020, amid the pandemic and a trying time for RTÉ staff, which saw RTE announce 200 job cuts and a 15 per cent pay reduction for its top stars, Tubridy spoke about his own pay cut for the launch of the RTÉ autumn schedule, however, it has now emerged that he received €345,000 in undeclared payments, sparking nationwide condemnation and an ongoing review into spending and governance at the state broadcaster.
