RTE star Ryan Tubridy - who is at the centre of an RTE payments scandal - has apologised for not questioning his salary over the last five years - as he confirms he is not quitting the station.
The radio and TV host said the ongoing controversy, which resulted in the star being paid €345,000 more than what was publicly declared to the Oireachtas over the last five years, did not contribute to him stepping down from The Late Late Show.
The 50-year-old said he was "disappointed" that RTE have made an editorial decision not to air his radio show next week.
READ MORE: Ryan Tubridy statement: Star RTE over undeclared €345,000 pay saying error is nothing to do with him
He said: "Further to my statement yesterday, I wish to respond to issues in the last 24 hours arising from RTÉ’s accounting treatment and publication of payments made to me between 2017 and 2022.
"RTÉ’s accounting treatment and publication of payments made to me between 2017 and 2022 contained serious errors.
"While I have no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTÉ or how or what they publish in their accounts, when my earnings were published I should have asked questions at the time and sought answers as to the circumstances which resulted in incorrect figures being published. I didn’t, and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so. For this, I apologise unreservedly.
"For the avoidance of doubt, all my earnings from RTÉ have at all times been included in my company’s accounts that were prepared by my accountant and filed with the Companies Registration Office and all my taxes are up to date. My filed accounts with details of these earnings have previously been reported on in the media.
"At the centre of all of this is trust. The trust of colleagues in RTÉ and the trust of a great many people who listen to my show. To them: I wholeheartedly apologise for my error of judgement.
"I also wish to respond to suggestions that this issue had some bearing on my decision to step down from hosting The Late Late Show. It did not."
Tubridy said it is simply "not true" in response to reports that he did not take a pay cut over the last number of years.
"Separately, it has been reported that I did not take a pay cut over the last number of years. This is simply not true," he said.
"Over the period of my contract with RTÉ, I have been asked to take several reductions in salary and I did. Indeed, between 2012 and today, my pay from RTÉ was cut by approximately 40 per cent."
But he said he was "disappointed" he won't be back on the radio next week, confirming the decision was not his own.
"Finally, I am disappointed that RTÉ has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week. I look forward to returning to the radio show, a job I love, as soon as possible and I hope my listeners and my colleagues appreciate my sincerity on this."
