The news is official: Australian Radio Network (ARN Media Limited) confirmed this morning that it has terminated its contract with Kyle Sandilands.
The long-running co-host of the uber-successful Kyle & Jackie O Show has been presenting it since January 2004, a 22-year run that has earned numerous awards, headlines, and controversies.
Last month, it was reported that the pair’s working relationship had come to an end.
Reportedly, cracks began to show on Friday, 20 February, when, while live on air, Sandilands referred to his co-host, Jacqueline Henderson, as “off with the fairies,” “unfocused,” and “unworkable.”
After the on-air blow, Sandilands told listeners the following Monday that Henderson’s absence from the show was due to her wanting “a couple of days off to gather her thoughts.”
On Tuesday, 3 March, it was reported that KIIS FM had terminated Jackie O’s $100 million contract, with the station stating the presenter “has given notice she cannot continue to work with Mr Sandilands.” The station added that Sandilands was suspended for two weeks due to “serious misconduct.”
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Now, the two weeks are up, and Sandilands’ contract has been terminated, ARN confirming the news via the ASX. As a result of the termination, the Kyle & Jackie O Show will no longer be presented on the KIIS FM Network.
In a statement, Sandilands said he is “not done,” and the dispute is now “over to my lawyers,” Radio Info reports.
“ARN has just announced that they’ve terminated my contract. I don’t accept it,” Sandilands began. “My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is.”
In his statement, Sandilands said he and Henderson “had a blue on air.” He alleged that ARN “took the situation and decided to try and burn the place down” by terminating Henderson’s contract and suspending him.
Sandilands also claimed that before his suspension, ARN told him they’d “handle it” while he did “everything” the company asked for over the ensuing two-week period. They allegedly denied his requests to work with Jackie O or another host. Sandilands claimed that ARN “saw a chance to get out of the contract they signed with me a year ago, and they ran with it.”
He continued, “ARN knew exactly what they were getting when they signed my deal. They’ve worked with me for over a decade. They knew how I work, they knew the show, and they were happy to pay for it —because I delivered.
“Number one ratings. Year after year. Hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for their business. I held up my end. I always have.”
Sandilands added that he had a contract with ARN “until 2034” and that he has “rights” under that contract. Following his termination, he’s engaged in legal services.
“So, it’s over to my lawyers,” he wrote. “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.”
ARN Media Limited said of Sandilands’ termination, per Radio Info:
This decision follows the Company’s ASX announcement on 3 March 2026 which outlined that ARN had provided written notice to Mr Sandilands and Quasar Media stating that it considered Mr Sandilands’ behaviour during the broadcast of 20 February 2026 to constitute serious misconduct and a breach of ARN’s services agreement with Quasar Media, under which Mr Sandilands presents the Kyle and Jackie O show. As noted in the 3 March 2026 announcement, Mr Sandilands was given 14 days to remedy the breach.
