Kyle Sandilands and radio network ARN have apologised for comments made by the presenter on his leading FM breakfast program, which included the slur “spazzes”.
“ARN does not endorse or condone the comments made by Kyle Sandilands, nor the language that was used or the context with which it was spoken during a segment broadcast on Thursday 29th September,” the network said on Friday.
The shock jock’s apology comes days after Seven announced he would be a judge on Australian Idol. Thirteen years ago Sandilands was dropped by the talent show, then on Channel Ten, after a public backlash over a lie-detector stunt on his radio show in which a 14-year-old girl revealed she had been raped. Both Sandilands and his co-host apologised on air at the time, saying they did not know the girl had been raped.
Last week Sandilands said his colleagues at KIIS FM were “losers”, “flops” and “spazzes” for failing to promote the Kyle and Jackie O show sufficiently after the duo came second in the ratings.
“We have to do everything … we have to even rewrite the live reads because the spazzes down there, they can’t even write a live read,” Sandilands said. “I am sick and tired of working here.”
The apology came after advertisers Bunnings and TPG Telecom told News Corp they were reviewing their advertising spend with KIIS FM.
“We value diversity in all its forms and in no way endorse or support comments that spread hate or fear,” a spokesman for TPG Telecom said.
Sandilands apologised for “using filthy language and some derogatory archaic terms” but added: “I’m never going to change. I’m still not changing [for] the woke world.”
ARN said last week’s rant was “not an expression of the views of ARN, which prides itself on an inclusive workplace, however we accept responsibility and unreservedly apologise to everyone impacted by the segment both at ARN and the broader community”.
“We also acknowledge and support Kyle’s apology on air this morning. We are taking this matter very seriously and are undertaking a full review to further reinforce the processes currently in place.”
It comes three years after Sandilands made an unprecedented eight-minute apology after offending religious groups by saying the Virgin Mary was a liar who got “chock-a-blocked” behind a camel shed.
ARN owns 58 radio stations in 33 markets as well as the digital platform iHeartRadio.
