Someof Virgin Media’s brightest stars have reacted to the RTE payments scandal.
Stars gathered for the launch of celebrity photographer Jenny McCarthy's book launch, The Wedding, at the Westbury Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday evening.
Virgin Media host Muireann O’Connell said it is really important that RTE earn back the trust and integrity of the public.
READ MORE: Ryan Tubridy will no longer take part in JFK event involving Micheal Martin
Reacting to the scandal, she said: “It’s just kind of ‘what?’ It’s a sort of shock. It makes you take pause and makes you think about the whole situation and wonder how it is going to be resolved because honestly, I believe in public service broadcasting.
“I think it is incredibly important – it’s always been important – but now in a time of disinformation where AI has such a hold on things and anything can happen. It’s really important that that integrity and that trust is hopefully something that can be maintained by them. Honestly.”
When asked what she made of RTE star’s salaries at the station, she said was shocked to know for years what they earn.
“Well, yeah. For me. It’s been reported for a long time, so we’ve seen what people have been making there and that is what it is. It’s different things for different people in the industry like it is within papers, magazines and social media and what that means so I guess it has always been different.”
Asked if she thought Patrick Kielty should disclose his salary, the Ireland AM star said it’s up to him.
“Isn’t that sort of society we live in that we don’t talk about money.
“I remember a few years ago I was not on pay parity with someone who was a different gender to me, and it was infuriating. It is very much.. no matter where you work there is this company lead response of ‘let’s no one talk about pay so that we don’t have to start paying people parity’. It’s a cultural thing. It’s a global cultural thing not to tell people.
“It’s up to him (Patrick Kielty). His salary with the BBC is there and available.”
Meanwhile, her colleague Martin King said Ryan Tubridy is the least culpable in all of this.
He said: “As I said on the TV on Friday, the least culpable out of everybody here is Ryan as far as I’m concerned.
“Anything he earned and all that he earned, he has been tax compliant. He has held his hand up and said maybe I should’ve said ‘listen those figures aren’t right’.
“I don’t know why people are looking for his head.”
But he added that while the RTE salaries do seem “big”, he doesn’t begrudge the top ten stars.
“We are a small country, yeah and they do seem like big salaries but if I could get that salary, then I would take it too. I’d be very happy to take it.”
Muireann and Martin were speaking at the launch of Jenny’s debut book, The Wedding, which outlines all of the questions that a couple should consider when booking their suppliers, tips for the lead up to the big day, what to gift to your bridal party to commemorate the moment and their involvement, and of course, lots of tips on photography, to make sure that you get the very best from your big day.
A host of famous faces joined Jenny at the launch, including Stephanie Roche Zambra, Alan Hughes, Peter Devlin, Terrie McEvoy, Paddy Smyth, Gillian Quinn and DWTS Laura Nolan.
