RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst has said he would “love” to keep Patrick Kielty as host of the Late Late Show, while also defending additional payments made to the presenter, reports Breaking News.
Kielty, whose contract to host the programme recently came to an end, received an extra €23,980 across 2024 and 2025 for presenting programmes outside the scope of his standard agreement, reports Breaking News.
RTÉ and Kielty had previously stated that his annual pay was €250,000.
However, figures show he received €266,323 in 2025 and €257,657 in 2024, reports Breaking News.
The broadcaster said the higher payments arose because Kielty was required to host “some additional programmes beyond his standard contract”.
Asked why RTÉ could not calculate in advance how many extra programmes he would present, Mr Bakhurst said the €250,000 related specifically to the normal run of the Late Late Show.
He said: “The 250,000 was for the run of the Late Late, and then there was some exceptional ones like the Christmas programme which we didn’t decide at the beginning”, reports Breaking News.
“But there was something in his initial contract three years ago, which was if you did an extra programme then you’d be paid for that programme”, he added, reports Breaking News.
Mr Bakhurst has previously maintained that nobody at RTÉ should earn more than he does.
His own package includes a base salary of €250,000, a €25,000 car allowance and a pension contribution worth €62,500, reports Breaking News.
He is also reportedly being considered for a possible €20,000 salary increase.
Mr Bakhurst said there had been “real downward pressure on presenter salaries”, with significant reductions among RTÉ’s highest earners and “very tight control” over pay, reports Breaking News.
When challenged over Kielty receiving extra payments, he reiterated that such arrangements were part of the presenter’s contract.
There has also been speculation that Kielty may be delaying negotiations on a new contract until Mr Bakhurst’s own salary situation is resolved.
Asked if he believed that was the case, Mr Bakhurst replied: “I don’t know – I’d love to get that pay deal sorted”, reports Breaking News.
When asked directly if he wanted Kielty to remain as host, he said: “I’d love to keep Patrick – he’s great”, reports Breaking News.
Pressed on whether RTÉ had a backup plan in place, he joked: “I’m not going to say that – it’d drive up the cost of some other contingency plan”, reports Breaking News.
Addressing reports of his own potential pay increase, Mr Bakhurst said the director general’s salary had not risen for a long time and stressed any review was not his decision.
Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan said the matter is currently being reviewed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, reports Breaking News.
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