The final episode of The Late Late Show hosted by Ryan Tubridy aired on Friday, May 28th, marking the end of his 14-year tenure as the show’s host. The episode was full of emotional tributes and memorable moments, as well as surprises and special performances.In his opening monologue, Tubridy thanked his viewers for sticking with him through the good times and the bad, saying, “The viewers’ loyalty, decency, kindness, and generosity has taken us all by storm, and I’ll never forget it.”Tubridy also dedicated his final show to his family, who he said have been his “greatest supporters.”“Gratitude to all the people I have worked with and continue to work with and their families. And enormous gratitude to the guests, the artists, the singers, and the ‘doers’ who have come through the door and graced us with their presence,” he added. “And of course, my greatest gratitude to my family who have been so loving and patient and my greatest supporters. They are my constant. I love them so much and I want them to know that.”The show featured some of the most popular children to grace the Late Late Toy Show over the past 14 years as they sang “You’re Going to Miss Me When I’m Gone”. Tubridy began to tear up as he told them that he always thought of the Toy Show kids as “part of my weird little family [on the Late Late Show].”Ireland’s favourite kids DJ duo Callum and Jackson Kieran came on stage to introduce a special message from the Muppets cast. The show also had a Toy Show reunion, where Tubridy welcomed more of his old friends from the Toy Show, including Adam King and Saoirse Ruane.Olympic boxing champion Kellie Harrington, Poppy and Darcy got the surprise of a lifetime when they met on the set two years ago. In addition, Tubridy congratulated the kids involved in the Toy Show Appeal, which has raised €18m so far for various charities.Tubridy also invited Majella O’Donnell, Joanna O’Riordan, PJ Gallagher and Robbie Lawlor to discuss some of the inspirational activists that have graced the Late Late Show couch during Tubridy’s tenure.The group spoke about living with illnesses, disabilities, and issues and how important it was to be given a platform to normalize the issues they were overcoming along with so many others in Ireland. Jedward also spoke with Tubridy about the death of their mother and recounted how they shaved their heads for cancer awareness and charity.President Michael D Higgins was also a guest on the show, and he invited Tubridy to join him in Áras an Uachtaráin for their final Late Late interview together. Higgins has been a regular guest on The Late Late Show throughout his presidency, joining the host at key moments over the past 14 years.In a pre-recorded interview, Higgins discussed the state of Ireland currently, touching on the housing crisis and the anti-immigrant sentiment bubbling up in Ireland. Higgins said he thought the intimidation of migrants “was awful” and said the sentiment among some that Ireland should not take in migrants is very similar to what Irish people experienced when emigrating en masse in the 19th century.Many Irish celebrities also paid tribute to Tubridy as he prepared to sign off on a 14-year career as host of The Late Late Show.Una Healy, Pat Kenny, Kathryn Thomas, and Doireann Garrihy were among those paying tribute to Tubridy ahead of his final episode. Singer Una Healy penned a heartfelt message to the presenter on Instagram, underneath a blooper reel shared by The Late Late Show. “Ryan, you’re a legend!” she said. “You will be so missed. Thank you so much for entertaining the nation every Friday night.”Ryan Tubridy’s final show included a host of surprises for the star as well as a Toy Show reunion and a special trad music performance. One of Ireland’s latest breakthrough singer-songwriters, Cian Ducrot, was also in the studio with a very special performance to mark the occasion.The show concluded with Tubridy saying goodbye to viewers and thanking them once again for their loyalty and support. He then passed the baton to Patrick Kielty, who will take over as host of The Late Late Show in September. “I can’t wait to see what he does with the job. He’s going to be great and he has a great time around him. Good luck to you Paddy,” Tubridy added.
