“Finally.”
That’s the prevailing immediate reaction tonight to the news that Jackie O has quit the Kyle and Jackie O Show, following on-air “misconduct” from her co-host Kyle Sandilands that saw her take leave from the airwaves at the beginning of last week.

After 20-plus years of rolling scandals generated by Sandilands, it appears many in the general public are asking what took Jackie O so long to make a break from her controversial co-host.

Jackie O was due back from her week-long sabbatical to “gather her thoughts” on Monday morning, but at the top of Monday’s show, an uncharacteristically sheepish Kyle revealed she’d be gone at least another week – and conceded that nobody, either he or those in charge, knew what was really going on with her.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson in Melbourne on March 11, 2025. Picture: Supplied/Instagram
 

Tonight, some clarity, in a statement from Kyle and Jackie O’s employer ARN Media that seemed to take a firm pro-Jackie stance: She had terminated her contract because she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands.”

ARN stated that it had offered her her own show.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show will be taken off air immediately, ARN announced, with Sandilands given an ultimatum: To “remedy his breach” within 14 days or lose his job.

News.com.au posted the shocking update on Instagram when the news broke on Tuesday evening, and that one word response – “finally” – immediately appeared time and time again in the comment section, with readers expressing relief that Jackie O had finally sought to distance herself from her controversy-plagued co-host.

“About time. The only thing surprising here is that it took so long. Hopefully this means the end of Kyle on the radio altogether too,” reads one top-rated comment under our post.

“About time,” said another reader.

They’ve weathered many scandals in their time, but always as a united front – until now.
“Finally! About time! Now to make sure Kyle is never ever allowed back on air,” read another comment.

Over on the Instagram post of news outlet The New Daily sharing the news, former Bachelor and podcast host Matty J offered a pithy response: “Who would’ve thought that years of casual misogyny on radio might have consequences,” he wrote.

The news of the pair’s split after more than 25 years as a radio is all the more shocking given how recently they’d signed an eye-watering contract to keep them together for another decade.

Back in 2023, they signed the most lucrative contract in Australian media history, a 10-year deal with ARN that was meant to see them remain on air together until the end of 2034.

The deal was worth an incredible $200 million, with each host to receive $10 million per year.

That contract is now over.

Jackie O opens up about the money in radio and not letting it trap you on the Something To Talk About podcast

In this short clip…

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What happened during the fight?

On February 20, Jackie O was left in tears after Kyle criticised her recent work ethic during a segment on their KIIS FM breakfast show.

He accused Jackie of being “unfocused” on air due to her obsession with astrology and star charts.

Kyle called Jackie O out on air …

… and left his co-host in floods of tears.
“Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” Kyle said. “You are off with the fairies with this sh*t. It’s mental.”

A stunned Jackie replied, “I totally am offended by you saying something like that.”

Kyle continued, “Well too bad (that you’re offended) … It’s too much. It’s affecting everything else. You’re too fixated on it.  Every segment, every time you’ve spoken, you don’t even know what’s going on.”

Jackie strongly rejected the criticism, while Kyle claimed others shared his concerns.

“You are not doing the rest of the job and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” Kyle said. “Everyone has said, ‘what’s going on with Jackie? She’s off today.’”

Jackie became emotional on air as she hit back at her longtime co-host.

“I would never say things like that about you,” she said, tearfully. “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.”

Kyle responded bluntly, “It’s not an attack, it’s an actual fact, babe, I’m sorry.”

Jackie continued to defend herself, saying, “I come in here and I do my job and I do it well,” but Kyle made it clear he didn’t agree.

“I wouldn’t say that lately, no,” he replied.

-with Andrew Bucklow