‘Some things would have to change if we were to go back’ – The 2 Johnnies speak out on sudden RTÉ 2FM exit

The Tipperary comedy duo, consisting of Johnny ‘Smacks’ McMahon and Johnny ‘B’ O’Brien, who were the most listened to presenters on the station, will finish with 2FM on Friday, following Doireann Garrihy and Jennifer Zamparelli out of Montrose.

“Something would have to change if we were to go back,” they told Brendan O’Connor on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, adding that their contracts ended in February and negotiations had taken place.

When asked if the contract had been right, would they have signed it, they answered: “I wouldn’t go that far. There is a lot on our side of genuinely being too busy.”

“Something had to go. We could have stopped doing telly but that is very sporadic. If we wanted to ever have our lives back, unfortunately radio is the one that had to go,” Johnny B said.

On whether they would have considered a new contract if more money was offered, the pair said: “No, the money was agreed long ago.”

“We are not influencers… It has always been the case that when you sign a RTÉ contract that you have to get permission for outside work, so that has always happened anyways,” Johnny Smacks said.

He stressed that their deals and sponsorships are all visible on their Instagram accounts and on their podcast.

“It is no secret for us and this register of interests wasn’t something that came into our minds in making this decision.

"We would tell you the truth. We have nothing to hide,” he added.

Johnny B said the door “would always be open for us to go back” however the pair, who have several other commercial interests, including a podcast, a new music album and an upcoming tour across three countries starting next month would need “an extra day of the week” timewise

He also alluded to the soar in ratings of their show Drive It with The 2 Johnnies which has grown from the station’s lowest at 122,000 in 2022, to its highest at 151,000 listeners per day, according to JNLR figures.

“We came in to do a job, which was to bring up the ratings, we have done that. What more can we do over the next two to three years if we were to sign a contract,” Johnny Smacks said.

Johnny B added “we don’t want to burn out” and that the pair are “quitting while we are ahead”.

He stressed that neither of them went to college for broadcasting or media and were simply two men who “broke the mould”.

“Radio wasn’t really on our radar that much,” he said, recalling that after the pair covered for Jennifer Zamparelli one week in May, 2022, they “had such craic” and “loved it”.

“I am sad for us, sad for the team and sad for the listeners,” of which he said are comprised of a “mixed demographic” mainly a “massive rural audience” including men in farming, construction and those doing apprenticeships.

“We feel we represent them. They were really what the show was about, that is what is different from the podcast. It’s that you get that immediate reaction on radio,” Johnny Smacks said.

However, they stressed that their The 2 Johnnies Podcast, which they described as their “mothership” is a “safe space” for young men to talk about issues such as catfishing and sextortion.

“Young men are not great for talking, they are not good at expressing their feelings. If we can give them a platform to do that… then that is really important to us.

“We are talking about some of those subjects that you don’t hear spoken about,” Johnny Smacks said.

Johnny B said “that is part of the job of the podcast, which is to be much closer to the edge than radio” adding that radio is “not frustrating” but is “more of a different job” than podcasting.

The 2 Johnnies will finish with RTÉ 2FM on Friday, which coincides with a new album release titled Small Town Heroes which is dedicated to characters within their hometown of Cahir.

The pair met there and moved in together after hosting a local GAA gala. At the time Johnny B was working as a wedding band singer and hurley maker, while Johnny Smacks was a butcher. They first started with a Facebook page and comedy sketches before moving to radio.

After parting with the national broadcaster next week, they plan to embark on a world tour with their album, visiting three countries, including the United States, before returning to play in their Junior B hurling championship in the summer.

On their futures, they added that they are leaving RTÉ on “good terms”.

“The door is always open. You never know what will happen. I think we will be back on radio sometime,” they said, adding that they will feature on TV programmes on the broadcaster in the interim.