Funnyman Jason’s marriage ends in tears
Ireland’s Got Talent judge and comedian Jason Byrne has moved out of the family home in Old Town in north Dublin after separating from his wife of 14 years.
According to one family friend, Jason and Brenda officially separated more than six months ago and have been dealing with the heartache privately in a bid to make things as easy as possible for their children, Devin 18 and Daniel, 11.
Another friend said that the pair had simply drifted apart, which was not helped by Jason’s hectic travelling schedule which sees him regularly fly from America to Australia. ‘Jason is a loving father but I suppose, one of the downfalls of his success as a comic is that he is away a lot,’ said the friend.
‘He could be in Australia for a month at a time. That is difficult for anyone and I suppose, the marriage suffered. The break-up is as amicable as it can be for the sake of the children.
‘Both Jason and Brenda are devastated but they are adults and just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Look, it is very sad and they just want to get on with their lives but they just don’t want to talk about it.
‘Brenda never courted the public life and left that side of things to Jason. She hopes to be afforded the privacy to continue on like that.’
A spokesperson for Byrne has confirmed the split and said he would not be commenting further and asked for privacy. Separately, Brenda also confirmed the breakup and declined to comment further. The Ballinteer comedian is currently in Edinburgh where he is receiving rave reviews for his new show at the Fringe festival. Byrne became a household name with his hit prank show Anonymous in 2007, which ran for three years. He previously appeared in Father Ted, as well as presenting a radio show on Phantom FM.
He also had a comedy chat show, The Jason Byrne Show, with P.J Gallagher and a comedy panel show, The Byrne Ultimatum, on RTÉ 2.
He created and starred in a radio show, also called The Jason Byrne Show, from 2010 to 2012 on BBC Radio 2.The second series was awarded a Gold Sony Radio Award for Best Comedy. He is currently one of the four returning judges on the hit TV3 series Ireland’s Got Talent alongside Louis Walsh, Michelle Visage and Denise Van Outen.
In September 2017, he avoided a driving ban after he pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and without a licence.
Byrne was driving without a licence as he has been disqualified for accumulating 13 penalty points for speeding offences.
Jason first met Brenda in 1998 in The Laughter Lounge on Eden Quay at a comedy night. They got engaged in 2003 on the Charles Bridge in Prague, were married the following year and were initially inseparable. She has been a director of his company for eight years and remains listed today.
‘He’s a loving dad., but he’s away a lot’