Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973) is an Irish broadcaster. Until 19 December 2025, he presented a weekday mid-morning programme The Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio UK (which aired simultaneously on Dublin's Q102) from 10:00AM–1:00PM. On 22 March 2026 he started a new show on Times Radio in the UK from 1–4pm on Sundays.
He currently presents an Ireland–only radio show called The Ryan Tubridy Show on Sundays from 10:00AM–12:00PM on Dublin's Q102, LMFM, Cork's 96FM and Live 95 FM in Limerick and his own podcast series The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubrity.
His broadcasting career with RTÉ spanned over two decades, where he presented many shows on radio and television, most notably The Late Late Show on RTÉ One from 2009 to 2023. Other shows he presented include RTÉ 2fm's The Full Irish (2004–2009) and Tubridy (2010–2015), RTÉ One's Tubridy Tonight (2004–2009), RTÉ Radio One's The Tubridy Show (2005–2010) and The Ryan Tubridy Show (2015–2023). He also hosted the Rose of Tralee contest on two occasions and worked for BBC Radio.
Tubridy has written several books, including JFK in Ireland, The Irish Are Coming and Patrick and the President. He was known as the highest-paid person at RTÉ over several years; related controversies included his initial refusal to take a voluntary pay cut in 2009, and, most importantly for his career, in 2023 over misstatement of his total earnings and additional payments, at least some made via a costly "barter account" mechanism. The latter scandal led to RTÉ dispensing with Tubridy's services in August 2023.
Background and early life Birth and education Born in Booterstown, Dublin, in 1973, Tubridy was educated at Carysfort National School and Blackrock College. Tubridy studied Greek and Latin, and was schooled alongside Craig Doyle and Ryle Nugent.
He studied for his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in history and Greek and Roman civilisation at University College Dublin (UCD). While he was interested in the Students' Union when he was attending UCD, Tubridy made his impression while engaging in social, rather than political, activities. He was also a member of the Fianna Fáil Kevin Barry Cumann, and involved with the Dún Laoghaire branch of Ógra Fianna Fáil, as well as Belfield FM.
Parents and wider family One of five children, Tubridy's siblings are Judith, Niall, Rachel and Garrett; he also has two half-sisters from his father's second marriage. His father, Patrick Tubridy of Blackrock, who died in January 2013, was a psychiatrist, working at the St John of God campus in Stillorgan, and the only son of the Fianna Fáil TD Seán Tubridy (1897–1939). Seán Tubridy was the only son of Patrick Tubridy (1869–1920) and Jane Waldron (born 1868). Tubridy's mother is Catherine (née Andrews), whose father, Todd Andrews, was a prominent associate of Fianna Fáil founder Éamon de Valera and held a number of posts in semi-state companies.
Of his siblings, Niall is a professor of Clinical Medicine and one of the country's leading neurologists. Garrett ran unsuccessfully for the Pembroke-Rathmines ward of Dublin City Council at the 2009 local elections. During the election campaign Ryan was advised against making public appearances alongside his brother.
A maternal uncle, Niall Andrews, was a TD and MEP, while another maternal uncle, David Andrews, was an Irish Government minister. Two of his first cousins, Barry Andrews and Chris Andrews, have also sat in Dáil Éireann as Fianna Fáil TDs, the former being a Minister of State for Children in the coalition government of Brian Cowen, since then becoming chief executive of aid charity GOAL, while the latter was re-elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin member in 2020. Another first cousin, David Andrews Jnr, is a comedian who works under the pseudonym of David McSavage. Following Tubridy's departure from The Late Late Show, McSavage publicly criticised him for never having him as a guest in his 14 years as host. McSavage regularly appeared as a guest under Tubridy's predecessor Pat Kenny. Tubridy also claims actor Tom Cruise as a distant relation through marriage.
Broadcasting career Though later noted for his perceived bookishness, it was television films that interested Tubridy as a child; he wrote to RTÉ at the age of 12, to complain that there should be more of those on TV for the likes of him and others who were his age. RTÉ responded by inviting Tubridy to review films on its Saturday morning programme Anything Goes, and so began a long relationship with the broadcaster.
Tubridy's association with broadcasting and books began later, when he was reviewer on Poporama.
RTÉ Radio
After leaving college Tubridy became a runner in RTÉ, initially working on The Gerry Ryan Show as maker of tea and coffee. Tubridy said at the death of Gerry Ryan that "The moment I set foot in RTÉ, he put his wing around me and said: 'I like what you do. I like what you are. I'm going to look after you.'" He credits Ryan for his kindness "in a place which is so full of ego and bizarre resentment". Tubridy was also influenced by the "nerd made good" style of British broadcaster Chris Evans.
Later he worked as a reporter for Today with Pat Kenny, as well as occasionally presenting the radio news show Five Seven Live. In the summer of 1999, Tubridy presented Morning Glory on RTÉ Radio 1 and in July 2000 he moved to The Sunday Show. From 2002 until 2005 he presented RTÉ 2fm's morning breakfast show, The Full Irish. The move to the morning by Head of 2fm John Clarke was seen as risky, with station insiders disapproving and Hot Press publishing a double-page editorial with the headline "station in turmoil". Within one year its ratings had soared and Tubridy was given a major award. When The Full Irish ended it was the second most popular radio programme in Ireland, after Morning Ireland. Clarke later described moving Tubridy to the morning as the best decision of his 25-year career in radio.
In 2006, Tubridy began presenting The Tubridy Show, on weekday mornings on RTÉ Radio 1. Around this time, he wrote a column for the Sunday World in which he expressed amongst other things his support for Barack Obama, "one of his favourite singers" Fionn Regan and the success of Kenny Egan, a silver medal winning boxer at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He later interviewed Said Obama, the uncle of U.S. President Barack Obama for The Tubridy Show. Tubridy hinted he would consider moving to new pastures if the opportunity arose.
After the death of Gerry Ryan, Tubridy's friend and colleague, Tubridy was the subject of rumours by various newspapers that he would be succeeding him in the RTÉ 2fm slot, becoming RTÉ's top earner with a salary of 1 million. In June 2010, RTÉ confirmed that Tubridy would in fact fill that slot from August, presenting a programme called Tubridy from 09:00 to 11:00. His salary remained unchanged. In an RTÉ press release, he was quoted as saying: "In my new role on RTÉ 2fm I will be presenting a programme that will be very different, with a different time slot, and a different style of presenting." To allow for presenting The Late Late Show, his show was only two hours long, compared to the 3 hours that Gerry Ryan's show lasted. However JNLR figures released in July 2011 revealed Tubridy had lost over 110,000 listeners since the move.
After finishing The Tubridy Show on 16 July 2010, he began presenting Tubridy on RTÉ 2fm on 20 August 2010, surprising listeners by starting the programme three days earlier that what was originally scheduled for 23 August. His first guest on the programme was Bono. His RTÉ Radio 1 slot was filled by John Murray. Tubridy became synonymous with declining listenership figures, a 40% collapse of which by 2011 coincided with increased listenership figures for its rival The Ray D'Arcy Show.
Tubridy returned to RTÉ Radio 1 in September 2015 to host The Ryan Tubridy Show, an hour-long weekday morning show. On 17 August 2023, it was confirmed that Tubridy would not return to his presenting role in RTÉ after negotiations with RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst collapsed in the wake of the RTÉ secret payment scandal. He had been off-air since the revelations broke.
Television
Tubridy was presumed heir to Gay Byrne as presenter of The Late Late Show as early as 2003, when he was about to take over as presenter of the Rose of Tralee, another of Byrne's former roles. At that time, Tubridy had never presented a live television programme.
After graduating from reviewing films as a child, Tubridy initially limited his TV appearances, preferring to concentrate on radio instead. He tried on a wedding outfit on fashion magazine show Off the Rails and appeared on The Panel. It was during an episode of this show that he aired his thoughts on breastfeeding, characterising it as similar to urinating in public, an opinion for which he received public criticism.
He refused RTÉ's leading afternoon TV programme Open House, upon discovering that it required his services on Fridays only. His first serious effort at his own TV show was All Kinds of Everything, a music nostalgia programme that took its title from the song of the same name, which, as a schoolgirl, Dana sang at the Eurovision Song Contest 1970. Before this had even been broadcast, however, Tubridy had been offered the Rose of Tralee presenting vacancy, which he accepted. RTÉ was set on Derek Mooney, but festival organisers objected and Tubridy landed the role.
Tubridy presented the EsatBT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society, in 2003 and 2004. He presented the RTÉ People in Need Telethon in 2004 and 2007.
In October 2004, Tubridy Tonight began. This was his own live Saturday night talk show, seen as a successor to Kenny Live (formerly Saturday Night Live). Tubridy initially announced his intention to take over the hosting of The Late Late Show from Pat Kenny but he later stated that he would remain as host of Tubridy Tonight, describing it as his "Jim'll Fix It job" and "little fun-size legacy".
However, it was announced on 11 May 2009 that Tubridy would indeed succeed Pat Kenny as host of The Late Late Show. He vowed to bring back Gay Byrne's "one for everybody in the audience" catchphrase, described by Will Hanafin in the Irish Independent as an attempt to "dig up more old relics than archaeologists would on an excavation", in reference to Tubridy's passion for history. Tubridy said he was "very taken aback" to learn he had been selected, describing it as "a humbling honour to be asked to present such an iconic programme". His role as host allowed him to fulfill a childhood ambition – presenting The Late Late Toy Show – "I know this is the one that I always wanted. I love the fact that children are uncontaminated by the reality of adulthood". Tubridy Tonight concluded on 30 May 2009.
Tubridy's first guest on The Late Late Show was Taoiseach Brian Cowen, an interview that drew an audience share of 62 per cent. Gay Byrne, the original host, was one of Tubridy's guests in December 2009.
Tubridy often clashed with his guests. In May 2011, a former director of television at RTÉ, Helen O'Rahilly, said of The Late Late Show: "If I was back in charge of RTÉ, you wouldn't see this utter shite on Friday night".
On 16 March 2023, Tubridy announced that he would be stepping down as the presenter of The Late Late Show after 14 years. His last show was broadcast on 26 May at the end of the 2023 season. Tubridy requested a "low key/no fuss" finale and no wrap party was held between Tubridy and his production team after the final episode aired, and there were no speeches. Patrick Kielty was announced as Tubridy's successor.
BBC Radio