'He cares about people,' popular comedian reveals intimate call with Ryan Tubridy

A WELL known Irish comedian has come out in defence of Ryan Tubridy after his appearence before Tuesday's Oireachtas committee.

PJ Gallagher tweeted on Wednesday that he "wasn't going to say anything about money" but that he received supportive phone calls from the beleaguered presenter both before and after a past interview they did.

“No other broadcaster in the last 20 years or so ever did or would. He cares about the people on his show and he cares about his audience,” Gallagher said.

Responses to his tweet have been divided, with many in the replies supporting Gallagher’s sentiment. Others responded more negatively, saying that it was no excuse for Tubridy's actions. 

“Classic “Ah sure wasn’t he a lovely fella to me” Irish response, as if that means anything at all, when the facts show exactly what he and his agent did” one reply read.

Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly appeared before the Oireachtas Media Committee and the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday to answer questions over payments made to him by RTÉ in a scandal that has rocked the national broadcaster for weeks.