Tommy Tiernan has broken his silence on the Late Late Show presenter gig, leaving the door open with a non-committal: “I don’t know.”
The Navan comedian is one of those tipped to take over the hotseat from Ryan Tubridy when he quits the iconic RTE chat show next month.
Tiernan, whose Saturday night chatshow rivals The Late Late in the TV ratings, has refused to rule himself in or out.
Read more: RTE viewers blast 'rude' Tommy Tiernan interview with Becky Lynch
He told Cork’s Red FM: “If I didn’t have my own chat show, it would probably be more tempting.
“But I have a chat show the following night which is watched by as many people as the Late Late, that I get to design.
“Originally, Gaybo designed his chat show. The Late Late evolved with Gaybo and he was able to push it left, and push it right, and choose the topics he wanted to cover.
“I’m not sure the next host of the Late Late has the same freedom.
“The show that I do the following night at the same time, it has a lot of elements that I like.
“The big thing for all of us growing up was not knowing who was going to be on the Late Late. We thrived in that. You also had Gay Byrne putting a condom on a banana.”
Tiernan admitted his live stand up shows have landed him in hot water but he insisted: “The main law really is entertainment.
“The art form that I work with is established, and risky, and it’s liable to offend from time to time.”
“I prefer to take my chances and apologise after..”
On Friday, Ryan Tubridy once again teased his successor would be female – fuelling rumours Claire Byrne or Sarah McInerney could take over.
He said: “Well, when the next presenter takes over, whatever HER name may be...”
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