Ex-RTE star Sean O’Rourke has said Ryan Tubridy’s sudden departure from the Late Late Show didn’t shake RTE bosses – and he believes Patrick Kielty is not a “done deal”.
O’Rourke said he is “walking, living proof” that no big name at the national broadcaster is irreplaceable.
The broadcaster was forced to retire from his mid-morning Radio 1 show due to him turning 65 in 2020 but was on the cusp of returning as a contractor for different projects.
READ MORE: Former RTE host Sean O'Rourke's son set to take over mum's job as a special adviser
But the fall out from the Golfgate scandal in the summer of 2020 meant that all plans for a return were shelved. Drawing from his own experience, he said Ryan Tubridy’s sudden announcement to leave the coveted show after 14 years wasn’t as shocking to RTE bosses compared to when Pat Kenny sensationally quit the station.
He said: “This is not even an earthquake – RTE has seen it all before.
“If Pat Kenny can leave RTE and the numbers on the show don’t go down, they can do without anybody.”
He described Kenny as a “brilliant mind” who “at 75 years of age, sounds 30”.
He recalled when Kenny left that the media assumed a massacre would happen and RTE would lose 100,000 listeners when O’Rourke took over Kenny’s radio show.
“Nobody is indispensable. It’s not about Pat Kenny. It’s not about Sean O’Rourke. It’s about the RTE brand,” he told the Sunday Independent.
Opening up about his thoughts on the next Late Late Show presenter, Sean said: “I don’t think the brand is going to suffer if they get a good presenter out of all this.
"They have options and they’ll want to get this done properly. They’re not going to be rushed. It’s too important.
“They’re not going to play to the next news cycle or the latest tweet.”
Patrick Kielty is currently the frontrunner for the job – but O’Rourke said he doesn’t believe the Co Down star is a “done deal”.
“Based on my own personal experience, I never take the reports at face value,” he added.
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