Claire Byrne Reveals Full RTÉ Salary In Astonishing Monologue

The extraordinary saga at RTÉ took yet more dramatic twists on Monday morning.

The revelation last week that Ryan Tubridy had been paid far more than the figure shared in RTÉ's public documentation of their presenter's salaries ultimately saw director general Dee Forbes suspended.

On Monday morning, Forbes announced she had resigned from her role with immediate effect, saying:

I regret very much the upset and adverse publicity suffered by RTÉ, it's staff and the unease created among the public in recent days. As Director General, I am the person ultimately accountable for what happens within the organisation and I take that responsibility seriously. I am tendering my resignation with immediate effect.

Dee Forbes resigns as RTE DG with immediate effect (and says the RTE board “has not treated me with anything approaching the levels of fairness, equity and respect that anyone should expect as an employee, a colleague or a person”)

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 26, 2023

Tubridy himself addressed the controversy in a statement last week - but that statement was widely panned, and a second one was required from the ex-Late Late Show presenter to clear the air.

Now, another RTÉ presenter has weighed in on the controversy.

On her breakfast show on Monday morning, Claire Byrne disclosed her exact RTÉ salary, and the details of her remuneration, as well as attempting to empathise with the Irish public, in a simply extraordinary piece of radio.

RTÉ: Claire Byrne gives salary revelation in extraordinary show opening

Many of RTÉ's biggest earners may be feeling the heat after the controversy surrounding Ryan Tubridy in recent days.

Tubridy, who recently left his role as host of the Late Late Show, was found to have been paid €345,000 more than his annual published salary over the course of six years, in a controversy which has stunned the Irish public and rocked the national broadcaster.

Addressing the controversy on her morning show on Monday, Claire Byrne chose to disclose her full salary, and acknowledged the huge amounts of money at play, in an extraordinary opening monologue:

My most recent published fee was €350,000 - this was the fee agreed by RTÉ for me to present this radio programme and Claire Byrne Live. As you know, I decided not to continue with that television show for personal and family reasons.

In order to be fully transparent with you, I want you to know that my RTÉ fee now is €280,000 and that fee is for presenting this programme.

I acknowledge that fee is significant and way beyond what many people could hope to earn.

There are others who will no doubt have more to say abot it, I'm sure, but my personal decision here this morning is to be open and honst with you.

For presenting the TV show Ireland's Smartest, Byrne was paid an extra €25,000.

Byrne went on to say that the situation was "heartbreaking" for her co-workers on 'Today with Claire Byrne,' and that she and other RTÉ presenters were blindsided by the revelations made public last week. She attempted to reassure audiences that they wanted to rebuild the "hard-earned trust" of their listeners.

For me and the great people I work with every day on this show, hearing this is nothing short of heartbreaking.

As programme makers our aim is to be consistent, fair, and professional, and to respect the hard-earned trust that you, the audience, has in us.

I hope you can trust me.

It was a bizarre opening, that only sums up the surreal goings on at RTÉ over the past few days. The fact that one of RTÉ's highest-ranking presenters felt the need to go into such detail about their salary in the opening to their own show only exemplifies the tense atmosphere that now exists at the national broadcaster.

We imagine we have not heard the last of the Ryan Tubridy saga yet.