Ryan Tubridy is used to entertaining the crowd and winning their favour with promises of "one for everyone in the audience".
But on this occasion, he wasn't giving away free hampers or tickets.
This audience wanted information, details and clarity.
There was no applause or laughter, just questions. Hours of questions.
The Public Accounts Committee hearing began with an opening statement from a man who is no stranger to delivering monologues on TV and radio.
It was presented with the drama and passion one would expect from an experienced broadcaster. He spoke about a fog of confusion, a debacle and a fiasco.
At one point he banged the table and insisted he hid nothing and had nothing to hide.
He said he took full responsibility for not asking questions about his published salary and apologised to his listeners, his colleagues and friends in RTÉ.
Mr Tubridy insisted that the payments controversy had not led to his decision to leave The Late Late Show, explaining that he first thought about stepping down from the show a year ago and made up his mind in January.
It was a decision that was "close to my heart and my soul" he told committee members, adding that he was burnt out and exhausted after Covid.
He said that since the controversy began, people had stopped him on the street to voice their support and revealed that he has received a stack of cards and letters from well-wishers, some of them simply addressed to "Ryan Tubridy, Dublin".
Answering questions, he described the last three weeks as chaotic and destructive.
Mr Tubridy said his name and reputation had been sullied.
"I am deeply upset, I am hurt," he said.
"It is hard to leave the house if you want to be honest about it. I spent three weeks watching people telling stories. I am not looking for sympathy or a violin," he added.
"I have been dragged into a mess not of my own making," Mr Tubridy said.
For many of the detailed questions relating to his pay and contractual arrangements, he deferred to his agent who was sitting alongside him, explaining that Noel Kelly knew the 'nuts and bolts' of his dealings with RTÉ.
Mr Kelly insisted that it was RTÉ that had structured the commercial arrangements at the heart of this controversy and that when it came to invoicing, it was done in a way requested by RTÉ.
Noel Kelly has spent years representing his client and that continued today in the committee room, describing Ryan Tubridy as the most trusted man in Ireland who had been thrown under the bus.
He said the reporting of the controversy had been horrendous.
"These are the worst of times," Mr Kelly said.
Ryan Tubridy said he knew how it felt to be 'cancelled' and later told the Oireachtas Media Committee that he could be out of a job by Friday.
He said he is willing to return €150,000 to RTÉ, if corporate events for Renault he was paid to host, do not take place.
He added, that if he does return to RTÉ, he would be willing to publish all future contracts online.
The audience today was not just the politicians in the committee rooms but also the viewers, listeners and licence fee payers glued to their screens, many of whom have felt so let down by the events of recent weeks.
Also watching closely was the new RTÉ Director General and his management team who will ultimately decide Ryan Tubridy's broadcasting future.
So, when it came to providing clarity and restoring his reputation, was there something for everyone in the audience?
The answer to that will dictate whether or not Mr Tubridy returns to the airwaves.
