44 Facts About Pat Kenny

Patrick Kenny was born on 29 January 1948 and is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk and the current affairs show Pat Kenny Tonight on Virgin Media One.

Pat Kenny presented radio show Today with Pat Kenny on RTE Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday until 2013.

Pat Kenny hosted The Late Late Show from September 1999 until May 2009, then returned as a stand-in host in January 2013.

Pat Kenny presented the current affairs programme The Frontline, each Monday night from 2009 until its axing in 2013.

Pat Kenny was the co-host of Eurovision Song Contest 1988, as well as numerous other television shows, including Today Tonight, Saturday Live and Kenny Live, and has worked for both RTE Radio 1 and RTE 2fm, sometimes simultaneously, in a career that has spanned five decades.

Pat Kenny is the holder of a Jacob's Award and was perennially cited as the highest paid employee at RTE.

Pat Kenny was named 23rd most influential person of 2009 by the magazine Village.

Pat Kenny was educated at the O'Connell School and obtained a chemical engineering degree from University College Dublin in 1969.

Pat Kenny began his broadcasting career in parallel to his academic "day-job" by working as a continuity announcer on RTE radio in the mid-1970s.

In 1986, Pat Kenny won a Jacob's Award for his "unusual versatility" in presenting three diverse radio shows: Saturday View on RTE Radio 1, and, on RTE 2fm, The Pat Kenny Report and The Outside Track.

Pat Kenny became a television broadcaster on RTE's Today Tonight, a current affairs programme in the mid-1980s.

Pat Kenny moved in an unexpected direction for a current affairs presenter when he filled the role of co-presenter of the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.

Pat Kenny continued to be associated with Eurovision, providing television commentary for Irish viewers of the event on nine occasions from 1991 to 1999.

Pat Kenny was criticised for referring on-air to the transsexual Israeli singer Dana International as "he, she or it" during the 1998 edition of the contest and later refused to apologise for the remark.

Pat Kenny was announced as Byrne's replacement on 24 May 1999.

Pat Kenny was in Israel for the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest when the announcement was made that he was taking over at the age of 51.

Pat Kenny became the new host, but not without criticism of his style during his tenure; Sunday Independent columnist Eilis O'Hanlon expressed this sentiment in 2006, writing:.

The switches from light to dark and back again are now handled too clunkily to convince; the exaggerated mateyness with the audience is cringemaking, making Pat Kenny look like the class geek who's too desperate to be seen as one of the lads.

Seinfeld remained tight-lipped, even as Pat Kenny referred to him as Jerry Sein-field.

Pat Kenny came under fire after an interview on The Late Late Show with Babyshambles' lead singer Pete Doherty.

Pat Kenny repeatedly questioned Doherty over his much talked about drug habits, with Doherty appearing visibly uncomfortable.

Doherty, obviously annoyed, stated that Pat Kenny had asked him "about 12" questions about drugs and Kate Moss, but nothing about his music; "I don't know if you could even name a song that I've written", Doherty quipped at one point.

On 27 March 2009, Pat Kenny announced that he would resign as host of The Late Late Show at the end of the season.

In September 2009, Pat Kenny began presenting The Frontline every Monday night on RTE One, a topical debate show revolving around the interaction between Pat Kenny, his guests and an invited audience.

On 19 July 2012, Pat Kenny appeared as host of Prime Time, the current affairs programme which replaced Pat Kenny's pre-Late Late Show programme, Today Tonight.

The Frontline ended in January 2013 as Pat Kenny became the co-host with long-time main presenter Miriam O'Callaghan of a revamped Prime Time in February 2013 until he departed RTE on 31 July 2013.

Pat Kenny has sustained several on-air personal attacks during his career as presenter of The Late Late Show and The Frontline.

RTE presenters said the defection of Pat Kenny to rivals Newstalk was a "major loss" for the national broadcaster.

Pat Kenny supported Miriam O'Callaghan when she came under fire from Sinn Fein for challenging Martin McGuinness of his past misdeeds during the 2011 presidential election campaign in a Prime Time debate, saying "I wouldn't criticise Miriam for doing what she did".

Pat Kenny was critical of Sean Gallagher after the presidential candidate objected to a tweet Pat Kenny read out on The Frontline days before the 2011 election.

In 2018, Pat Kenny lent his support to a Health Service Executive campaign to educate the public on harm reduction concerning cocaine.

Pat Kenny has spoken out against Ireland's historic censoring of Provisional IRA figures in broadcast media, describing the practice as "unsuccessful".

Pat Kenny cites both American politician John F Kennedy and actor Paul Newman as personal heroes.

Pat Kenny has been a vocal critic of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's efforts to promote gender equality at the top of European politics.

Pat Kenny issued the following statement: "I am satisfied that the significant reduction in the fees paid to my company takes account of current economic circumstances while reflecting my experience over 37 years in broadcasting at RTE".

Pat Kenny was not technically a member of RTE staff but was paid through a separate company, enabling Kenny and RTE to reduce the amount of tax paid on his salary.

Pat Kenny has defended himself by saying he was working harder than ever, that "I've done my bit" and that he would never "put a gun to RTE's head".

Pat Kenny's career has been extensive, having been a continuity announcer, radio disc jockey, television current affairs presenter, subsequently anchor and chat show host.

Pat Kenny was the subject of much media criticism for his takeover from Byrne.

In October 2011, Gay Byrne said the idea that he and Pat Kenny were competing in some sort of rivalry was "bloody rubbish".

John Bowman's history of RTE Television contains a quote from chief executive Vincent Finn from when Pat Kenny asked for to be paid more money.

Pat Kenny has publicly defended him against the criticism he received over the amount of money he was paid by RTE.

Pat Kenny's case was that he had entitlement of 'Gorse Hill' through adverse possession sometimes known as squatters rights.

In February 2019 Pat Kenny became a high-profile victim of the fake news phenomenon when it was reported that unauthorised advertisements for erectile dysfunction cures bearing the presenter's likeness had been circulated online.