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The true extent of the Kyle and Jackie O Show’s “messy ending” has been laid bare, as insiders leak the names of stars being mooted as possible radio “replacements”.
On March 3, ARN Media – the owner of KIIS FM – released a bombshell statement announcing that Kyle and Jackie O Show host Jackie O Henderson had given notice that she “cannot continue to work” with her co-presenter Kyle Sandilands.
“Ms Henderson will cease to present the Kyle and Jackie O show,” ARN said in a market announcement. “ARN has also offered to Ms Henderson the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network.”
The statement confirmed Kyle’s behaviour during the 20 February episode of the show – during which he accused Jackie of being “fixated” with star charts – was deemed “an act of serious misconduct”.
It was announced that he was suspended and had 14 days to “remedy” the breach, with the breakfast show taken off-air “effective immediately”.
Now, an industry insider tells Woman’s Day that if Kyle were to face allegations of workplace bullying from Jackie, it would be “very murky waters” for ARN to “wade through”, given how the show has courted controversy over the years.
While the source says ARN “need at least one of them, and it seems Jackie might be the safer choice”, they also suggest the radio network “might just clean the slate and start again”.
“Kyle and Jackie O’s audience is pretty niche even though it’s large,” another reliable source shares.
“Jonesy and Amanda [Keller] are the only two who have beaten them on the FM band – 2GB’s AM talkback king Ben Fordham has repeatedly won the breakfast slot – but Jonesy and Amanda have been shifted to Drive and are way older than the Kyle and Jackie O demo.”
It begs the question – who could be in the running if Jackie is replaced and Kyle remains in a reformed breakfast show?
The usual radio royalty have been rolled out – Bianca Dye, Chrissie Swan, Kate Langbroek, Ricky-Lee Coulter – but the front-runner is reported to be Sophie Monk, 46, who has extensive experience across TV and radio.
The Love Island Australia host is known for her down-to-earth attitude and cheeky nature, and is certainly a hit among fans of the show.
“SOPHIE MONK IS THE GIRL FOR THE JOB,” one listener declared on social media after news of Jackie’s departure broke. “I’m a lifetime listener & plan my work (driver) day around Kyle & Jackie O show. Either the morning or even the 6pm re-play .. And when Sophie Monk fills in, it’s bloody hilarious.”
But while Sophie might be a top contender, there are a couple of random wildcards have have really got everyone talking.
“There’s rumours swirling that KIIS had reached out to Brisbane based Olympic superstar Susie “Madame Butterfly” O’Neill last year when she was having a year off from rival network Nova after being with the breakfast team for more than a decade,” the insider tells Woman’s Day.
“It would’ve meant a move to Sydney during the week and while the offer was tempting with reportedly huge money on the table, in the end she decided to jump back into her old gig and is back bigger and better with the Nick, Luttsy & Susie O’Neill show.”
The source suggests there’s another famous name that is “the real bolter out of nowhere” – former The Project and Studio 10 host Sarah Harris.
The star recently signed up to Nova 9.9 in Sydney as their newsreader but the source claimed “she would not be hard to secure to replace Jackie”.
“And if anyone could stand up to Kyle it’s Sarah,” the insider adds.
Sarah isn’t the only name being bandied about. Those pacing the corridors at KIIS FM have apparently been wondering what it would be like if radio royalty Carrie Bickmore were to consider the gig.
“There’s no shortage of talent and the sooner the heavyweights at ARN make the decision what next, the quicker advertisers will have their confidence restored that they’re getting plenty of bang for buck,” the source goes on, adding that Hamish Blake could be another name in contention.
“Yes he’s become one of the most successful podcasters but he still remains number one in the popularity stakes and if he is alongside Jackie then it could be a radio marriage made in heaven,” the source says.
“Kyle knows there’s plenty of talent out there should he be replaced. Maybe the way to go is get a whole new team in place, pay them well below the $200 million deal that Kyle and Jackie O had in place and tame the content to appeal to more than just a young demographic.
“Whatever happens, one thing is certain – the chances of Kyle and Jackie O ever gracing our airwaves together again are pretty much dashed,” the source concludes. “What a messy ending – and there’s likely to be even more fallout in the next few weeks.”
