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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Keith Kelly

The 10 most controversial moments of Ryan Tubridy's Late Late Show career as RTE star is grilled by Oireachtas

The Late Late Show on RTÉ has been a staple of Irish television since it first aired in 1962.

It is currently the longest running television chat show in the world, and over the decades has regularly featured debates on the most pressing topics in Irish society such as abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage and domestic violence.

The gig of hosting the show has created icons such as Gay Byrne and Pat Kenny, and it is safe to say Ryan Tubridy has cemented his image as a household name on TV and radio in Ireland.

Read More: Ryan Tubridy statement exposes 'seven untruths' in RTE payment scandal ahead of Oireachtas grilling

The ongoing RTÉ payments scandal involving the 50-year-old Dublin native has rocked the organisation to its core.

The Late Late Show has been no stranger to controversy on its own throughout its existence, so we are going to take a look back at Tubridy's most controversial Late Late moments during his 14-year stint as host.

10. Peter Casey describes his interview as an "absolute disgrace"

Derry-born Dragons Den star Peter Casey, who was running for President at the time of his interview on the show back in 2018, described Tubridy afterwards as “unprofessional, patronising and insulting”.

This followed the host's decision to give audience members who were members of the Travelling community a chance to respond directly to Casey over his comments about them during his presidential campaign.

Tubridy responded to Casey's condemnation of himself and his interview technique, stating: “I would say that the Late Late is no stranger to robust exchanges and debates and that was just another one.”

9. Natasha Giggs reveals the details on her affair with husband's brother Ryan Giggs

Natasha Giggs, who had an extramarital affair with her husband Rhodri's brother, former Manchester United player Ryan Giggs, chose the Late Late Show as the stage to announce the saucy details of the relationship.

She explained how she orchestrated the affair while pregnant with Rhodri's baby.

Tubridy followed up the lurid story by asking: “Did you have any crisis of conscience at all?”

8. Mia Farrow reels from car crash interview with Tubridy by labelling him 'not very gracious'

Hollywood stalwart Mia Farrow's Late Late appearance in 2012 did not exactly go smoothly, with Farrow taking to social media afterwards to call Tubridy "not very gracious".

April 26, 2023, New York, NY, USA: MIA FARROW attends the Time 100 Gala,.Frederick P. Rose Hall, Lincoln Center,.New York City..April 26, 2023.Photo by (Credit Image: © Sonia Moskowitz Gordon/ZUMA Press Wire) (Sonia Moskowitz Gordon)

The Great Gatsby star probed her personal life, asking about her failed marriage to Woody Allen and why she decided to adopt so many children, causing her to compare the grilling to a therapy session.

She described the interview as making her "very nervous".

7. Tubridy is slaughtered on social media for giving socialist politician Paul Murphy TD a rough ride

In 2015, amid the nationwide protests against water charge meter installations in Irish homes, socialist TD Paul Murphy took part in an interview on the show.

Paul Murphy (RTÉ)

Tubridy began by introducing him as follows: "He spent three years as a member of the European Parliament, he’s been a member of Dáil Éireann for just four months but in his campaigning history, he’s been arrested five times."

Tubridy followed up by asking Muprhy if he got a “thrill” from being arrested.

Social media went into overdrive with complaints of bias from Tubridy and the national broadcaster.

6. Katie Hopkins does a Katie Hopkins

Natural-born British troll merchant Katie Hopkins has appeared on the show a number of times.

Through her unfiltered criticisms of others, she has earned her place as one of Britain's most controversial personalities.

In 2014, her interview with Tubridy saw her claim: "I don't believe you can be fat and happy," describing the mantra as a "cop out".

In 2016, she infamously declared the rise of right-wing political movements across Britain and the US as "a good thing".

5. Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell accuses Tubridy of 'misogynistic' question

The 2022 Late Late Show interview with O'Donnell courted controversy for one particular question posed by the host.

Tubridy clumsily introduced the question by stating "This may be a rude question and you don't have to answer" before continuing anyway, saying: "can I ask you how old you are?"

The actor playfully evaded the question, answering: "I'm 117 - and very, very wise."

Tubridy, evidently not getting the message, continued to press her: "Good answer. Would you consider telling me what age you are?"

O'Donnell took exception to the question, saying "it's always quite misogynistic, even it's unintentionally misogynistic, because men don't get the same scrutiny in their career.

4. Shane Lynch alleges 'bullying' after profane outburst live on air

Boyzone legend Shane Lynch made headlines in 2018 in a heated interview with Tubridy alongside his former bandmates.

The Dubliner had arrived late to the interview and was greeted with an old video of Boyzone in 1993 dancing on the Late Late before their careers took off.

When asked by Tubridy what it was all about, Lynch responded: "I busted my b*****s to get here and do you see that clip? You can shove it up your f*****g h*le!"

Lynch later commented: "Showing that clip was a massive bullying tactic in my eyes."

Perhaps you can see why it made our list.

3. Liam Neeson sparks fiery debate over #MeToo comments

Ballymena's most famous Hollywood star icon appeared on the show in 2018.

Most famous for dodging bullets in movies such as the Taken franchise, he came under fire off the silver screen for claiming there was a "bit of a witch hunt" in Hollywood owing to the influential #MeToo movement.

The movement is famous for retrospectively bringing to justice sexual abuse perpetrators in the entertainment industry such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly.

“There’s some people being suddenly accused of touching some girl's knee, or something, and suddenly they're being dropped from their programme,” Neeson said.

When pressed by Tubridy about allegations against Dustin Hoffman, Neeson said: "I'm on the fence about that."

2. Sinéad O'Connor asks Tubridy and RTÉ why prize money is not given to 'some family who's broke'

In 2013, Sinéad O'Connor drew rapturous applause from the audience when she interrupted Tubridy's announcement of the night's prize of a trip to America and €10,000 spending money.

O'Connor asked: "why don't you find some family who's completely broke and give it to them?"

Trying to move on from O'Connor's question on where the money is coming from in Ireland, Tubridy replied: "it's sponsors, I told ya!" before cutting to a break.

1. Viewers brace for a brawl as Linda Martin squares up to Aslan's Billy McGuinness

Perhaps the tensest moment during Tubridy's tenure as host of the show came in 2014 when Linda Martin became embroiled in a fierce confrontation with Billy McGuinness during Ireland's Eurovision song selection show.

Martin called McGuinness "an odious little man" and proceeded to walk right up to his face, making audience members visibly shaken.

Ryan jumped from the host's chair and attempted to diffuse tensions between the pair who were standing in confrontation in the front row of the audience.

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