During Friday’s episode of The Late Late Show, Irish talk show host Ryan Tubridy pressed the comedy star about her age but the exchange became awkward when O’Donnell accused him of asking a “misogynistic” question.
The moment gained a lot of attention and has been widely shared and discussed online, with people seemingly falling on both sides of the fence. Tubridy’s question seems to be even more pointed after it was discovered that he had also asked the same question and received the same answer during an interview with O’Donnell on the radio in 2018.
On Irish network RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, Tubridy asked, “This may be a rude question, and you don’t have to answer but can I ask you how old you are?”
O’Donnell, who plays a teenage school girl in the comedy series Derry Girls, brushed off the question at first by joking she’s 117 years old. After being pressed again by Tubridy, O’Donnell replied, “This is the thing about that, that gets on my nerves a wee bit.”
She continued, “It’s always quite misogynistic, even if it’s unintentionally misogynistic, because men don’t get the same scrutiny in their career.”
Tubridy said he would “definitely” have asked men the same question. Before the exchange could continue, Tubridy said he’d drop the question because he could “read a mood.”
While the exchange only lasted a minute, the clip has sparked mass debate online. Many discussed the appropriateness of asking her age, while others pointed out that the real issue was Tubridy’s manner in speaking over his guest constantly after the initial question.
The Twitter user @obrien_ruairi claimed that the topic is always sensitive because it could affect O’Donnell’s career. “It affects the perception of casting agents, producers etc… it can directly harm your career. It might sound stupid but I’ve heard those conversations,” they wrote.
While thousands of people criticised the question itself, some defended the question. People like Twitter user @AndrewKehoe8 claimed the question had been blown out of proportion. “Can someone explain how Ryan Tubridy is being accused of being misogynistic for simply asking an adult who plays the part of a teenager in Derry Girls how old she is?” they wrote
Many users on Reddit agreed with this sentiment, and compared it to other TV shows. “Pretty sure the cast of [The Inbetweeners] have been asked this question before,” Aj43vthbvst wrote.
“Just like Thomas Brodie-Sangster playing Jojen Reed in [Game of Thrones], everyone constantly commented that he was 24/25 and playing a 13 year old,” The_Sarcastic_Fox said.
Other comparisons were brought up with users mentioning the likes of Glee and Dear Evan Hansen. Another, c08306834, brushed off the allegations of sexism and wrote, “I’m no fan of Ryan Tubridy, but she really took that question the wrong way. I fail to see how it’s misogynistic.”
Many agreed that the initial question wasn’t the sexist part, instead it was the way Tubridy handled the exchange.
“Fair play to Ryan Tubridy responding to an accusation of misogyny by speaking over the woman making the accusation, repeatedly interrupting her and then accusing her of being in a ‘mood’.” Justin Moran wrote on Twitter. “He absolutely put that accusation to rest. Case. Closed.”
In a damning assessment of Tubridy’s role on The Late Late Show, Ireland’s longest running talk show, and the second longest in the world, Twitter user @OisinBrennan96 believes his 13-year stint on the show should come to an end.
