The long-running Australian radio partnership between Kyle Sandilands and Jackie "O" Henderson has come to an abrupt end, after an on-air tirade by Sandilands against his co-host was deemed the final straw. The pair had presented The Kyle and Jackie O Show together for 25 years, but the relationship unravelled after Sandilands criticised Henderson's interest in astrology, accusing her of being "unfocused" and "off with the pixies" during a broadcast earlier this month.
Henderson, who was analysing the birth chart of a member of the royal family at the time, described the attack as "mean and nasty". She walked off the show and subsequently told the Australian Radio Network (ARN) that she could no longer work with her on-air partner. ARN announced that the show would be taken off air immediately, and accused Sandilands of "serious misconduct". He has been suspended for 14 days and will lose his contract if he fails to "remedy" the alleged breach of his services agreement.
The pair signed a landmark $200m deal with ARN two years ago, which was intended to run until 2034. At the time, Sandilands said: "Love us or loathe us, Jackie and I will be continuing with our politically incorrect nonsense for a long, long time." However, the deal soon soured after the show was extended to Melbourne, where it struggled to replicate its Sydney success. The broadcaster faced multiple breaches of the broadcasting code and a social media campaign from an activist group, Mad Fucking Witches, which accused the show of normalising "violent misogyny".
The show also drew nearly half of all decency complaints on Australian radio in the 2024-25 financial year. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found seven breaches of decency rules across the Kiis network and announced plans to impose an additional licence condition on the station, a regulatory step not taken since the 2012 royal hoax call incident. Hours before ARN's announcement, Sandilands appeared unaware of the impending end, telling listeners he had written Henderson a "love letter" and that she wanted time to "gather her thoughts".
The collapse of the partnership marks a dramatic conclusion to one of Australian radio's most lucrative and controversial acts. Henderson's contract with ARN has been terminated, while Sandilands remains technically under contract but faces an uncertain future. ARN said it would make interim arrangements for the breakfast show slot, but did not specify what those would be.
