How KIIS Staff Really Feel About The Kyle & Jackie O Split: ‘Overjoyed’ And ‘Relieved’
KIIS FM staff are reportedly breathing out for the first time in years, with insiders describing Jackie O’s exit and the Kyle & Jackie O Show’s collapse as everything from a “relief” to a straight-up “blessing”. For a program that’s been sold as untouchable, hearing that people inside the building are quietly thrilled it’s over is wild.
But are we really surprised?
What happened to the Kyle & Jackie O show?
The implosion really kicked off on 20 February, during what should’ve been a pretty standard chat about astrology that went sideways fast. Kyle snapped at Jackie on air, telling her “you’re off with the fairies, you are unfocused, you don’t give a shit … everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” after she started dissecting Prince Andrew’s birth chart. Jackie then stepped back from the show, initially framed as taking a week to “gather her thoughts”, but she didn’t return when that week was up, which quietly set alarm bells ringing behind the scenes.
Behind the glossy billboards and ten‑year megadeals, people at ARN have been dealing with the fallout of that massive contract in a much less glamorous way. Multiple staffers told The Sydney Morning Herald they were “overjoyed” and “relieved” by the news that the partnership had finally blown up.
One worker said there had been “hundreds of lay-offs” since Kyle and Jackie signed their deal at the end of 2023, and that “the fact is, that outlay has never been justified by the ad revenue they were bringing in”.
They pointed out the split reality of the numbers: in Sydney, the show finished 2025 with a 12.7 per cent share and sat comfortably ahead of its FM rivals, while in Melbourne it limped along at around 5 per cent and eighth overall. That Melbourne performance effectively killed plans to roll the show out nationally and, according to staff, triggered those severe job cuts as ARN tried to balance the books. Another insider summed up the mood as “a blessing in disguise, or maybe just a blessing, full stop” while quietly acknowledging that losing the Kyle and Jackie O machine in Sydney could cost KIIS its number one FM spot.
Into that mess walked Ken “Smallzy” Small, who found himself opening Wednesday’s show with a statement. “This is not how I expected to be here on a Wednesday morning,” he told listeners, explaining he’d been asked to read a statement “before we start this morning”. He then confirmed what everyone had been speculating for days: “Jackie has given notice that she can no longer continue to work on the show with Kyle on breakfast. As such, Jackie has now officially left the show.”
Smallzy went on to say that “Kyle has been given 14 days to remedy a serious breach of contract in respect of the show. He’ll not be on air during this time. If that does not happen, that contract will be terminated. That’s what I have been told and asked to read you. You’ve officially heard it from us”.
He also tried to gently steady the ship, reminding listeners “there’s a saying in showbiz that the show must go on” and stressing he was “not here to replace either of them”, just to “keep the station on the air”.
Later in the show, he checked in with long-time newsreader Brooklyn Ross, who admitted, “I don’t think anyone can believe what’s happened”.
Ross, who has been part of the program for 12 years, said he was “obviously great friends with Jackie and Kyle” and would remember his time there as “a great ride”.
ARN’s official line
While all of that was unfolding on air, ARN had already locked in its legal and corporate position via the stockmarket. In its ASX announcement, the company said Jackie O Henderson had given notice she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands”, and that ARN had “terminated the services agreement with Henderson Media Pty Ltd”, meaning she would no longer present The Kyle & Jackie O Show. It described Sandilands’ conduct on 20 February as “serious misconduct” and confirmed he had been suspended for 14 days to “remedy a serious breach of contract”.
If that breach isn’t fixed to ARN’s satisfaction, the company says it will terminate its deal with Sandilands’ company, Quasar Media, and he will “cease to present” the show. At the same time, ARN has left the door open for Jackie elsewhere on the network, saying it has offered her “the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network”.
Neither Kyle, nor Jackie O have said anything since the announcement this morning.
