RTÉ 2fm presenters John O'Brien and John McMahon - aka the 2 Johnnies - have issued an apology for remarks made on a video on social meda, which were decried by many in the media and Irish politics today.
A now-deleted video was posted to the 2 Johnnies social media channels on Monday and featured the duo reading out sexist bumper stickers and decals provided by podcast listeners, such as ‘Tyres are like women... No good unless they are Squeelin'.’
The Tipperary duo are behind one of the most popular podcasts in the country. Today, they issued a statement saying "We would like to apologise for the content, which appeared on our social media, these posts were offensive and never should have been published. This is not who we are or who we stand for. We aim to do better in the future, we are not perfect, and we are learning all the time.
— The 2 Johnnies (@the2johnnies) February 24, 2022
The pair launched their own drivetime programme on 2fm this week, called 'Drive It...' The content was not recorded as part of the 2 Johnnies 2FM show.
Cork South-West TD Holly Cairns told Extra.ie that it was 'disappointing and alarming' that 2FM hadn't criticised the duo.
‘Our national broadcaster has an important role to play in leading national debates and framing the discussion. It is therefore disappointing, and alarming, that 2FM could not even bring itself to mildly criticise two of its broadcasters for promoting blatantly sexist material.
‘Sexist comments, in which women are objectified and demeaned, are incredibly insidious and contribute to a toxic culture in our society which women feel unsafe. Dressing these remarks up as banter or jokes does nothing to dull their damaging impact.’
Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon was also highly critical of the remarks.
“At a time when we are having a national conversation about toxic masculinity and standing up for women and girls, often on RTÉ programmes, this raises many questions. Was the video compliant with the principles of RTÉ 2FM? What is the station’s opinion on the language used by the men?
“We need answers and reassurance that this kind of material will not be broadcast or endorse
An RTÉ spokesperson released a statement saying:
'The tweet that was brought to our attention this afternoon had already been removed from The 2 Johnnies’ social-media account. RTÉ 2FM received no complaints. The tweet that was brought to our attention this afternoon had already been removed from The 2 Johnnies’ social-media account. RTÉ 2FM received no complaints.’
The duo did not present their afternoon programme today.
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