Ryan Tubridy split his audience down the middle this morning as he took on the comical (but divisive) 'Karen' issue live on air.
The radio host had a chuckle at the expense of 'Karen' – the name given to a stereotypically privileged middle-aged woman who's fond of complaining – in an opening segment that left some amused and some nonplussed.
Tubs, a frequent critic of Netflix's The Crown for its sometimes loose grasp on historical detail, found himself sympathising with the show's creators for the backlash they face from "people like Karens."
In mischievous form, the Dubliner added: "The Karens haven't gone away, you see.
"Poor Karens of Ireland, our sympathy is with you. Because your name got caught up in a slipstream of popular culture, and unpopular people, and less popular names."
For those unaware of the Karen phenomenon, Tubridy was only too happy to explain: "A Karen now symbolises the middle-aged woman who gives out about everything.
"Karen is the person who wants to speak to the manager – that's who Karen is. And the name has stuck."
The 47-year-old didn't seem particularly fond of the type of people who he said typify Karens: "It's synonymous with an outdated, asymmetrical pixie bob haircut – reminiscent of early-2000s Pink – along with a compulsive tendency to ask for the manager combined with a gentle air of entitlement."
It was the latest instance of Tubs taking on cultural phenomenons that split Irish society.
Last week, the RTE supremo weighed in on the dryrobe debate dividing Irish swimmers, giggling about an issue that's caused tension – real and comedic – at many popular bathing spots.
"Suddenly it's become a thing," said a baffled Tubs, who described it to listeners as a "sleeping bag-type thing that you put on you when you get out of the sea.
"But now it's become a bit of a status symbol – people are wearing it to go down to the shop, and come back, and no water was harmed in the making of this wearing of the dryrobe.
"It seems to be driving a lot of people mad."
