The presenter left his “very cushy job in radio” nearly three years ago and is now enjoying freelancing in different areas, and has also ruled out a desire to host the Late Late
Dermot Whelan and Dave Moore at Today FM(Image: Instagram/todayfm)
Dermot Whelan says he was forced to “really zone in on” what was important to him after leaving Today FM 2023.
The comedian and broadcaster ended his on-air partnership with best pal Dave Moore nearly three years ago as Dermot & Dave, one of the country’s most listened to radio shows, came to an end.
Since leaving Today FM, Dermot has gone freelance, working as a mindfulness coach, presenter, podcaster and author.
He often fills in for Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1 and will front new RTÉ TV series, Museum Of Me.
Speaking of his Today FM exit, Dermot said: “Stepping away from a very cushy job in radio with your best friend is another example of me stepping out of my comfort zone and into a space where I want to see what I’m made of.
“When you’re self-employed it can give you wonderful amounts of freedom and a sense of autonomy [but] it also throws a whole lot of uncertainty in your face, in terms of finances and security.
“You’re forced to really zone in on what’s important to you and what your values are.
“I guess it forces you to ask those questions that a lot of us don’t really want to ask, or that we don’t have time for – like ‘Who am I? What do I want to do? What’s important to me now at this point in my life?’.”
There has been a lot of speculation over Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty’s future at RTÉ after three years at the helm, but Dermot is ruling himself out of the replacement conversation.
“I think it only happens in the media where people start talking about you not having your job while you’re still in it,” he told The Sunday Times.
“You wouldn’t do that to an accountant: ‘Hey, word on the street is Tom is going to be fired!’.
“I think Paddy is great at his job. He’s very much in the job, and we should let him enjoy it and not be talking about who’s going to take his place.”
Dermot says his attitude to television has changed over the years.
He said: “There was a time when I wanted to be on the telly, and it may have come from being the youngest of six and just wanting to be seen and heard.
“These days, my approach to it is very different. It doesn’t really matter what I’m doing, whether it’s in front of a TV camera, or a radio microphone, or a podcast microphone, or whatever else.
“If I feel like I’m making a connection and it reflects who I am right now, at this time in my life, then I enjoy doing it.
“So I don’t have that desire of ‘Oh, I want to do The Late Late Show, because it’s the big thing’ – that doesn’t drive me.”
“If I feel I can get a sense of that connection through conversations, then absolutely,” Dermot added.
“It’s one of the reasons I love doing Oliver Callan’s [radio] show from time to time, because I get to sit with people and learn something about them.
“So whether it’s a Late, Late Show or any other kind of show – and Museum of Me certainly gives that sense to me – I’m up for it. Not because it’s a big, shiny show, but because we can learn something from it.”
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