Tough negotiations between RTE and Late Late star Patrick Kielty ended up where it was always likely to... with a pay rise. And here's how much extra he got out of them!

Published: 22:55, 11 July 2026 | Updated: 22:55, 11 July 2026 Patrick Kielty will be getting a substantial pay rise after holding out for weeks in tense negotiations with RTÉ over his return to The Late Late Show, sources told the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend. As revealed in this newspaper last week, Kielty is now set to reprise his role as host of the world’s second longest-running late-night talk show. Station insiders this week said the Late Late host held out for a pay rise that is understood to be between €20,000 and €30,000, during negotiations with his Montrose paymasters. As one source explained to the MoS: ‘Kielty held out for a pay increase between €20k and €30k and – this took the negotiations down to the wire.’ Sources have said that Kielty succeeded in securing a rise, but RTÉ has refused to confirm any details around his new pay arrangements as host. In response to queries, a spokeswoman would only say: ‘RTÉ publishes the earnings of its 10 highest-paid presenters and remuneration details of all members of RTÉ’s leadership team each year in our annual report. Outside of this, we do not normally publish details on individual earnings.’ Sources also said there were some tough talks between Kielty and RTÉ’s Head of Entertainment Alan Tyler before a deal was eventually hammered out. ‘Kielty and Tyler are really close friends and know each other for years… but there has been some tension recently,’ an insider said. Kielty himself confirmed his then salary of €250,000 in 2023 On Tuesday, RTÉ confirmed last Sunday’s MoS story that Kielty will be returning to helm the Late Late, ending months of uncertainty over his future with the station. The Co. Down presenter and comedian’s original three-year deal, worth €250,000 a season, expired in May. Kielty is understood to have negotiated an overall package with the national broadcaster, rather than a straightforward increase on his existing fee. It is understood that the presenter, who is also a director in a successful production company, has used his wider body of work carried out with the broadcaster as leverage at the negotiating table. Kielty himself confirmed his then salary of €250,000 in 2023 when RTÉ found itself engulfed in the controversy over secret payments to his Late Late Show predecessor, Ryan Tubridy. The presenter’s new-and-improved deal comes as the national broadcaster waits on the Government to sign off on a pay rise for Director General Kevin Bakhurst, which could open the door for other top earners to seek similar hikes. Despite what some critics branded a lacklustre start to his tenure at the helm of the Late Late, Kielty has delivered solid numbers throughout his three seasons, with the show pulling an average of 385,000 viewers per episode. It was previously reported that Kielty’s former production company, Green Inc Film and Television, had secured the rights to produce a newly outsourced, revamped series of Up For The Match, covering both the football and hurling final eve specials, in a deal that was reportedly worth around €600,000. Green Inc, which Kielty co-founded with director Stephen Stewart in the mid-1990s, previously produced hits including The Afternoon Show and Patrick Kielty Almost Live. However, Kielty stepped down as a director of the firm in 2011. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.