The fate of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson‘s reign in brekky radio has been determined, with the Australian Radio Network (ARN) announcing the show’s next steps following weeks of uncertainty.
In an announcement shared on March 18, Kyle confirmed that ARN terminated his contract.
The future of the Kyle and Jackie O Show made headlines in early March after the duo split over an on-air clash in which Sandilands slammed Henderson for her “unworkable” fixation on astrology.
But as Henderson pulled back from the show (and the public), Sandilands reportedly lawyered up with workplace relations firm Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) after ARN told ASX it considered his February on-air rant towards his co-host “serious misconduct” and gave him 14 days to “remedy” the situation or risk termination.
Kyle Sandilands’ nuclear statement after ARN termination
Sandilands released a statement saying that he did not accept his termination and he is “not done. Not by a long way”.
“ARN has just announced that they’ve terminated my contract. I don’t accept it. My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is,” the statement began.
“Let me tell you what actually happened here. Jackie and I had a blue on air. That’s it. The kind of thing we’ve done a hundred times in 25 years. And ARN took the situation and decided to try and burn the place down. They sacked Jackie. They suspended me. They wouldn’t even let me pick up the phone to call her or anyone else on the show. Then — and this is the bit that gets me — once they’d made it impossible for the show to go on, they turn around and say, ‘You didn’t fix it. You’re fired!'”
Kyle has said that it’s now over to his lawyers.
“I’ve got a contract until 2034. I’ve got rights under that contract. And ARN hasn’t honoured the contract. So, it’s over to my lawyers.”
He finally addressed his listeners: “To the people who tune in every morning — you lot are the reason I’ve done this for 25 years. You didn’t get a say in this. Neither did I. But my lawyers will. I’m not done. Not by a long way.”
It’s no surprise Sandilands will be referring to his lawyers. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald earlier in the month, an ARN employee claimed the shock jock “will definitely sue” if the network terminates his contract — a 10-year deal with ARN reportedly worth around $100 million, which was signed in 2023.
“The agreement with ARN acknowledges the type of performer Kyle is: that he’s robust and a maverick-type character, and that’s something ARN has traded on for many years and gotten a lot of success out of,” the employee said.
As for Henderson, the brekky radio star broke her silence on the matter on March 6, explaining she was “deeply saddened” about how everything went down.
“I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign. I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” Henderson said in a message issued by her manager Gemma O’Neil.
Henderson also previously mentioned “legal channels” within the statement, but didn’t specify if she’d lawyered up regarding the messy split.
But amongst the legal hullabaloo and headlines, a source told the Daily Telegraph that the dynamic duo are “talking and want to do radio again”.
Alongside ARN’s decision, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) imposed license conditions on KIIS Sydney and Melbourne following investigations into Kyle and Jackie O’s brekky segment.
Per the March 16 announcement, the Licence Condition will be in effect for five years.
Henderson has not yet responded to this morning’s announcement.
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