Muireann Duffy
RTÉ has confirmed The 2 Johnnies, John O'Brien and John McMahon, will return to their hosting duties on 2fm following a review into a clip of their podcast which was widely criticised after being shared online.
Last week, the Tipperary comedy duo issued an apology after a clip from their podcast, The 2 Johnnies Podcast, was shared on their social media accounts.
In the clip, the pair read aloud car sticker slogans that had been sent in by listeners, many of which were sexist in nature.
"Tyres are like women, no good unless they are squealing"; and “She’s not a princess, she’s a sl*t”, were among the slogans read out in the since deleted video, with the hosts laughing throughout.
Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said it was "bizzare" that the two RTÉ presenters featured the segment containing "virulently sexist slogans".
The apology, posted on social media on Thursday, read: "We would like to apologise for the content which appeared on our social media, these posts were offensive and should never have been published.
"This is not who we are nor what we stand for. We aim to do better in the future, we are not perfect, and we are learning all the time."
RTÉ has since confirmed the pair will return to host their drive-time slot from Monday, March 14th, having been off-air since February 24th, just three days after their first show.
In a statement noting a breach of guidelines had occurred regarding the clip, RTÉ said it has "engaged intensively" with O'Brien and McMahon regarding social media guidelines and "the challenges of moving from an unregulated space into one where regulations apply".
Ahead of their return, The 2 Johnnies said they are "extremely excited" to get back to work, "acknowledging the lessons we've learned and committing to put these into action".
