The Kyle & Jackie O Show‘s axing has shocked listeners, but the question on everyone’s minds is now, who will replace them?
Kyle Sandilands‘ $100 million contract with ARN was terminated on March 18 after a two-week suspension, with the radio star confirming he planned to take legal action.
The show was officially pulled off the airwaves on March 3, after Kyle and Jackie “O” Henderson had an on-air falling out.
Jackie took some time off and allegedly said she couldn’t continue working with Kyle, leading to her contract being terminated. However, she denied that she quit and is taking legal action.
Now, fans are wondering who will replace the radio duo on the airwaves as it appears The Kyle & Jackie O Show no longer has a future on ARN.
Keep scrolling for all the frontrunners.
Who will replace Kyle and Jackie O?
A whole host of names have been thrown into the running to take over the breakfast slot, including Carrie Bickmore.
She currently co-hosts the Hit Network’s Carrie and Tommy radio show on weekday afternoons, but rumours have been swirling that she could return to breakfast radio.
And now, her co-host, Tommy Little, has broken his silence on the speculation, giving his take on whether he thinks Carrie will be making the landslide move.
“Who knows what will happen? Obviously, I love doing our show, and I hope Karl [Stefanovic] doesn’t end up doing a show with Carrie… because that would mean I’m not doing a show with her,” he told Stellar.
“So, unless there are things I really don’t know about, I hope it’s just a rumour.”
There has been speculation that Carrie might move to KIIS FM with Today host Karl, who recently moved to the airwaves with his own self-titled podcast.
Elsewhere, Virgin radio host and Dubai Bling star Kris Fade has also been touted as a frontrunner to take over the primetime slot.
He currently hosts his own breakfast show, The Kris Fade Show, in Dubai, and rumours are swirling that he could be tempted to join ARN.
“Kris Fade is the biggest name in entertainment in Dubai,” a source told nine.com.au.
“He’d have to be offered a huge amount of money – we’re talking millions a year – to leave Dubai, which he has called his home for so many years.”
Kris, who has lived in Dubai for nearly 20 years, has met hundreds of A-list Hollywood stars, including Kim Kardashian and Will Smith.
Kris, whose full name is Kristan Fahd, grew up in Sydney and is the brother of Gogglebox star Matty Fahd.
He moved to Dubai around 2008 and rose to fame on the Netflix series Dubai Bling.
The Kyle and Jackie O Show airs in both Melbourne and Sydney, and drivetime stars Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw’s names have also been thrown into the ring for the breakfast slot.
There was previously speculation that Sophie Monk might replace Jackie alongside Kyle, but this now seems far-fetched considering his termination at ARN.
Theories also swirled that Jackie might team up with Karl Stefanovic on a new show with ARN, but her contract has been terminated, so this too seems unlikely.
Mitch Churi, who KIIS FM axed in December 2024, has also been put forward to return to the network amid the turbulent time.
Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac is another of the major names who has been thrown into the mix.
What happened between Kyle and Jackie O?
The longtime friends fell out after Kyle had some choice words about Jackie’s interest in astrology live on air.
Kyle insists that he apologised that evening, but he was suspended by ARN and given 14 days to address his behaviour.
His contract was then terminated on March 18, and Kyle has since launched legal action against ARN.
“ARN has just announced that they’ve terminated my contract. I don’t accept it,” he said.
“My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is.”
“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 added.
Meanwhile, Jackie firmly denied that she quit, alleging there had been “misinformation” surrounding her departure.
“Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure on the show,” she said in a statement.
“I want to make one important point very clear: 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,” she added.
Jackie has also filed a lawsuit against ARN following her dismissal.
