Controversial Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands has been sacked and his long-running breakfast programme, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, cancelled with immediate effect. The Australian Radio Network (ARN) confirmed on Wednesday that it had issued a notice of termination of contract to Sandilands and his company, Quasar Media, over what it described as 'serious misconduct'.
The decision follows a breakdown in relations between Sandilands and co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson, triggered by an argument during a broadcast last month. According to an ARN statement, Henderson said she 'cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands' and would not present the show any more. Sandilands had accused Henderson on air of being 'off with the fairies' and said her interest in horoscopes made her 'almost unworkable'.
ARN said Sandilands had been given 14 days to remedy the breach before formal termination, but the deadline ended at midnight on Tuesday. Sandilands has rejected the termination, stating: 'I don't accept it. My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is.' He described the incident as a routine on-air disagreement, adding: 'Jackie and I had a blue on air. That's it. The kind of thing we've done a hundred times in 25 years.'
Sandilands accused ARN of escalating the dispute unnecessarily, saying the network had 'decided to try and burn the place down'. He claimed the company deliberately sabotaged negotiations to get out of a contract that runs until 2034. '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 said.
Henderson has denied quitting the show, saying the news came as a 'shock to me, as it has to everyone else'. In a statement on 6 March, after Sandilands was suspended, she said: 'I did not quit or resign. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal avenues.' The show, which first aired in 2004, had dominated breakfast radio ratings in Sydney and expanded into other markets.
