After 14 years of laughs, tears and memorable moments, Ryan Tubridy will finally say goodbye to the Late Late Show.
With Tubbers final show airing on Friday, we are looking back on some of the beloved host’s best moments.
Ryan’s Debut
Of course, we have to start off this round-up with Ryan’s Late Late Show debut. Ryan took on former Taoiseach Brian Cowen as his first interview in September 2009.
The newly appointed host pressed Brian Cowen on his plans for the country amid the post-2008 economic downturn. Tubridy was praised for his new and fresh interview skills.
His Vicky Phelan interview
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One of Ryan’s personal favourite moments was his interview with cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan.
In November 2021 the inspirational woman joined Ryan to open up about her decision to stop chemotherapy and start palliative care.
Vicky explained that the treatment was extremely difficult and she wanted to spend more time with her family while she was well enough.
“I’d rather be well, I’d rather have a shorter time frame than be like that.”
Her favourite band, The Stunning, performed on the show and the campaigner used the opportunity to ask them if they would perform at her funeral.
Vicky sadly passed away in November 2022.
Playing matchmaker
We just love love and so does Ryan Tubridy. During his 14 years as host Ryan played matchmaker by hosting the annual Late Late Valentines Special.
In 2018 this special feature was extra romantic with a touching surprise proposal. Assisted by Ryan, James from Mullingar proposed to his girlfriend Siobhan during a fake Mr and Mrs-style game.
Introducing Adam King
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Tubridy met some amazing people throughout the years. During the 2020 Late Late Toy Show young Adam King from Cork stole the hearts of the nation.
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adam’s virtual hug message became a very important message for the Irish public.
The Late Late’s 50-year anniversary
Ryan was lucky enough to celebrate Ireland’s national talk show’s 50th anniversary. Tubridy was joined by Liam Neeson, whose very relaxed demeanour had the audience speculating that the Irish actor may have had one too many before the show.
Liam denied he was drunk and put his attitude down to the fact that he hadn’t slept for two days before the interview.
Either way, the pair gave us a hilariously off-the-cuff interview which we will be rewatching for years.
The Duvet Cover
Tubbers never fails to make us laugh, this particular moment involved Francis Brennan, a duvet cover and a volunteer from the audience.
Ryan put the famous hotelier to the test by asking him to demonstrate how to properly change a duvet cover live on the studio floor.
Mother and Daughter Reunited
In 2012, reuniting a mother and daughter after being separated for three years brought a tear to everyone’s eyes. Without knowing her daughter Sarah was also present, a mother told Ryan that she missed doing the “girly things” with her daughter.
Later on in the show Sarah and her boyfriend surprised her mother making everyone including Ryan very emotional.
Linda Martin Vs. Aslan
It’s not all fun and games on the Late Late Show. During the 2014 Eurosong competition, Aslan’s Billy McGuinness began critiquing the selection of songs and artists Linda Martin stepped up to defend the sacred competition.
Spurred on by music producer Louis Walsh, the pair became quite heated.
Ryan stepped up to diffuse the situation and keep the show on track. Let’s be honest we all loved the drama.
9) RoG goes Rogue
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During the 2015 Valentines’ Special, Ronan O’Gara may have been a little bit too open during his interview with Ryan Tubridy.
The former Irish rugby player was met with a mixed reaction when he said: “I wouldn’t be nervous getting up on Jessica but I would be nervous kicking a ball.”
Even Ryan was shocked by that comment.
10) Toy Show slip up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5PutN5-VI
We all let the odd F-bomb slip every now and then. Unfortunately for Ryan, his slip-up just so happened to be on live television during to biggest episode of the year.
While attempting to pour himself a glass of Fanta, the bottle sprayed all over the host and he muttered to himself “F**k sake”. The clip of Ryan’s slip went viral across social media, but we all still love you Tubbers.