The 2 Johnnies to return to 2FM following 'breach' of RTÉ's social media guidelines

The 2 Johnnies said it had been a "very intense week" and that following the "apology and clarification of the events which occurred", they are "extremely excited" about returning to the drivetime show. 

The 2 Johnnies are to return to the airwaves later this month after a controversial social media clip forced them off air.

The comedy duo apologised last week for what had been described as a “sexist” and “derogatory” social media post promoting their new radio show.

The now-deleted video, posted to social media ahead of the pair’s radio show last week, contained a number of crude and negative comments about women.

While the video did not contain any excerpts from their 2FM show itself - it featured several clips of comments made by the pair on episodes of their popular podcast - it did serve as a promo of sorts for the pair's Monday to Friday slot on the station.

In the post, The 2 Johnnies, whose real names are John O'Brien and John McMahon, read and discussed crude slogans on car stickers sent in by listeners to the podcast.

Since being taken off air, RTÉ said it has "engaged intensively" with The 2 Johnnies "in respect of the breaches of our social media guidelines".

The standards expected with RTÉ content and the challenges of moving from an unregulated space into one where regulations apply were also discussed between the two parties.

Head of RTÉ 2FM Dan Healy said that their social media guidelines were breached and the station took this "very seriously".

He said that they took the breach seriously enough to take The 2 Johnnies off air, but the duo are set to return. 

"They have apologised and we've been talking since about where we go from here," Mr Healy said.

"They are aware of the standards we expect and are absolutely committed to upholding them. We are looking forward to working with The 2 Johnnies as we work together to bring a fresh approach to drivetime.

"That's the job they were taken on to do and the show we want to offer the audience. We're going to continue working on this in advance of the show returning to air on Monday 14 March."

The 2 Johnnies said it had been a "very intense week" and that following the "apology and clarification of the events which occurred", they are "extremely excited" about returning to the drivetime show. 

"We had a great welcome at 2FM last week and are eager to work with Dan and the 2FM family again, acknowledging the lessons we’ve learned and committing to put these into action. 

"Coming from a different environment it is a privilege to get the chance to have a national conversation five days a week, and we appreciate that with this comes great responsibility and a lot is now expected of us. 

"We are determined to create a successful radio show and work with everyone in 2FM to show the nation the best of us. We would like to thank 2FM for working through this with us."