Darren Kennedy is juggling two continents, two TV gigs and a brand new dating show, and he’s loving every minute of it.
The presenter and stylist was at the VIP Style Awards at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin on Friday night, cutting a dapper figure in a suit he designed himself in collaboration with Louis Copeland.
Kennedy, who divides his time between Ireland and Los Angeles, told Extra.ie he’s been clocking up serious air miles.
‘I’ve probably got the most Aer Lingus miles of anyone in the country,’ he laughed.
Tommy Fleming. Pic: VIP Ireland
He confirmed he’ll continue co-hosting the Six O’Clock Show alongside Brian Dowling over the summer.
‘We’ve had a brilliant relationship, two years now,’ he said. ‘I’m doing it for the summer, more or less, with Brian. And then I have other commitments.’
Those commitments include Hey Gay, an upcoming digital dating show that Kennedy both devised and executive produced.
‘I just filmed it,’ he told Extra.ie. The show is expected to drop later this summer.
‘I love the bonkers of Hollywood and all that,’ he said of his transatlantic lifestyle, ‘but I love some balance too.’
Darren Kennedy at the Virgin Media Television new season schedule launch at The Stella Cinema in Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy
‘It feels kind of forced, and that’s never right’
Attending the Style Awards for the first time in six years, Kennedy also weighed in on the story that has dominated Irish media this week: folk singer Tommy Fleming’s public coming out.
Speaking as a gay man himself, Kennedy was measured but heartfelt.
‘My first instinct was I feel so upset that he wasn’t able to live his truth,’ he said. ‘The way everything has come out, it just feels kind of forced, and that’s never right.’
Kennedy came out at just 15 or 16, telling close friends and his brother before his parents.
‘My dad accepted it straight away, my mum got upset initially,’ he recalled. ‘But they’re my biggest allies now.’
His message for anyone in a similar position was simple.
‘Live your truth, because you have one shot at this life. I wouldn’t change a single thing. I wish Tommy all the best.’