It is the end of one of Australian radio’s most iconic partnerships. On March 3rd, the Australian Radio Network – the company behind KIIS FM – confirmed that Jackie ‘O’ Henderson had given formal notice that she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands,” bringing the curtain down on a co-hosting relationship that had defined breakfast radio for decades.
The split comes less than two weeks after a dramatic on-air confrontation on February 20, in which Kyle accused Jackie of being distracted, unfocused, and – in his words – “off with the fairies” due to her interest in astrology and star charts.
Henderson hit back, saying the comments amounted to a public attack on her professionalism. Minutes later, she walked off the show and did not return.
And now, insider sources say Kyle is preparing for a mammoth legal fight against ARN if his contract is, in fact, terminated as a result of the on-air stoush. Scroll on for all the details.
| HOW IT ALL UNFOLDED | |
|---|---|
| 20 Feb | The On-Air Argument Kyle accuses Jackie of being “off with the fairies” and “unfocused.” Jackie pushes back, calls it “a total attack,” then walks off mid-broadcast. |
| Late Feb | Off Air & “Unsafe” Jackie does not return to the studio. Entertainment reporter Peter Ford alleges Jackie’s manager claimed she felt “unsafe” in the workplace. |
| 3 March | Kyle’s Optimism Kyle tells newsreader Brooklyn Ross he signed off on a statement from “Jackie’s camp” indicating she intended to return. “That’s a good sign,” he said. ARN Drops the Bombshell ARN officially confirms Jackie has resigned and puts Kyle on a 14-day notice to remedy a “serious breach of contract,” or face termination. |
| 4 March | Smallzy Steps In Kent “Smallzy” Small hosts the breakfast show and reads ARN’s statement on air. Kyle is absent for at least 14 days. |
| 6 March | Sources say Kyle will sue An insider source reveals to the Sydney Morning Herald that Kyle “will not take this lying down” and is preparing to sue ARN if they terminate his 10-year $100 million-dollar contract. Jackie releases a statement, says she “did not quit or resign” from the network. |
What did Kyle say to upset Jackie O?
The moment that set everything in motion came during the February 20 broadcast, when Kyle, 54, turned on his co-host in front of their audience of hundreds of thousands.
“I totally am offended by you saying something like that,” Jackie replied, her voice taut.
“I would never say things like that about you. It’s a total attack, it really is… to say, ‘you don’t know what the F is going on, you’re not doing your job’ — that’s an attack, and I wouldn’t do that.”
“I come in here, and I do my job, and I do it well,” she continued. Kyle’s response was blunt: “I wouldn’t say that lately, no.”
Within minutes, the 51-year-old had left the studio. Kyle continued the show alongside the team’s newsreader, apparently unaware — or unbothered — by the magnitude of what had just happened.
“I come in here and I do my job and I do it well” – Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, On Air, 20 February, 2026
ARN’s Bombshell Statement
After seven days of silence from Jackie and mounting speculation about her future on the show, ARN moved decisively on March 3rd. In a formal statement, the network confirmed that Jackie had resigned, and strikingly, took direct aim at Kyle.
“ARN has also provided written notice to Mr Kyle Sandilands and Quasar Media Services Pty Ltd stating that it considers that Mr Sandilands’ behaviour during the show on 20 February 2026 is an act of serious misconduct which is in breach of ARN’s services agreement,” the statement read.
ARN also confirmed it had offered Jackie “the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN Network” – suggesting the broadcaster is keen to retain her despite the fallout.
What happens next?
Kyle Sandilands has been stood down for 14 days while ARN reviews his conduct.
If he fails to remedy the breach of contract within that window, his contract could be terminated entirely. Jackie has been offered an alternative show within the ARN network.
On March 6, an insider source revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that Kyle had assembled a team of $50k per day lawyers in preparation for a legal fight against the ARN network if they did, in fact, terminate his 10-year $100 million-dollar contract, just one year and two months after it was signed.
The shock jock will reportedly push for an $88 million-dollar payout and “will not take this lying down.”
According to The Australian, Kyle has also been advised that he has a strong legal case against his employer if he is to be fired, given the organisation has already agreed to be wholly liable for everything he says on air.
Should the dispute reach court, ARN is set to press its serious misconduct case against Sandilands — and widen the net to include how he behaved behind the scenes.
Jackie breaks her silence
On March 6, Jackie released a public statement, her first since the scandal unfolded.
“I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” she penned.
“Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure from the show. I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign.
“The current media narrative does not reflect what actually occurred, and it has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels.”
You can read more about Jackie’s next moves following her radio exit here.
Smallzy’s awkward morning
When KIIS FM’s breakfast show went to air on March 4, it was Kent “Smallzy” Small — not Kyle or Jackie — behind the microphone. He read ARN’s statement with obvious discomfort before attempting to steady a stunned audience.
“It is 6:00am on Wednesday, the 4th of March. This is not how I expected to be here on a Wednesday morning,” he began, before delivering the news that Jackie had officially left and that Kyle was stood down.
“There’s a saying in showbiz — the show must go on,” Smallzy told listeners. “I am not here to replace either of them. I am just going to get us through.”
He added, with evident sincerity, that as someone who had grown up listening to the Kyle and Jackie O show, the news was “as much a shock to me as it would be to you.”
The irony is that just hours before ARN’s bombshell, Kyle Sandilands had publicly expressed hope that the pair’s partnership would survive. On the Tuesday morning in question, he told newsreader Brooklyn Ross that he had signed off on a statement from “Jackie’s camp” that suggested she intended to return.
“The only thing I noticed from the statement is that Jackie will be returning in the future,” he said.
“So that’s a good sign… the intention is to come back, which is fabulous.”
By Tuesday night, that optimism had been overtaken by events. As of the publication of this article, Kyle had made no public comment on Jackie’s resignation, his own suspension, or the breach of contract notice hanging over him.
