Kyle Sandilands has publicly rejected ARN Media’s decision to terminate his long-term contract, describing the move as invalid and confirming legal action is now underway.
In a statement released after ARN announced the termination on Wednesday morning, Sandilands said he did not accept the network’s position and claimed his legal team had already warned ARN the move would not stand.
“ARN has just announced that they’ve terminated my contract. I don’t accept it,” Sandilands said.
“My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is.”
‘I said sorry to Jackie the night of our blow-up’
Sandilands said the breakdown followed an on-air clash with co-host Jackie O Henderson, which he described as consistent with past disagreements heard across the show’s long history.
“Let me tell you what actually happened here. Jackie and I had a blue on air. That’s it. The kind of thing we’ve done a hundred times in 25 years. And ARN took the situation and decided to try and burn the place down.”
He claimed ARN escalated the fallout by removing both hosts from the program.
“They sacked Jackie. They suspended me. They wouldn’t even let me pick up the phone to call her or anyone else on the show.”
“Then — and this is the bit that gets me — once they’d made it impossible for the show to go on, they turn around and say, ‘You didn’t fix it. You’re fired!’”
Sandilands said he apologised to Henderson shortly after the incident.
“I said sorry to Jackie the night of our blow-up. And when I said I was sorry to Jackie, I meant it. I still mean it.”
Potential legal dispute now an option
Sandilands said he had complied with ARN’s requests during the suspension period and repeatedly offered to return to air under different arrangements.
“In the two weeks since, I’ve done everything ARN asked. I said, put me back on air. I’ll work with Jackie. I’ll work with someone else. Whatever you need. Every single time – ‘no.’”
“They weren’t interested. They didn’t want to fix this. They thought they saw a chance to get out of the contract they signed with me a year ago, and they ran with it.”
He also defended his value to the network, pointing to ratings and revenue delivered during his tenure.
“ARN knew exactly what they were getting when they signed my deal. They’ve worked with me for over a decade.
“They knew how I work, they knew the show, and they were happy to pay for it — because I delivered number one ratings. Year after year. Hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for their business.”
Sandilands said his contract remains active until 2034 and that the matter will now be handled by lawyers.
“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.”
“I’m not done. Not by a long way.”
Kyle Sandilands’ official statement.
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson – what comes next?
ARN has now terminated both contracts, and both could sue their former employer – time will tell.
2GB Breakfast host Ben Fordham last week weighed into the escalating fallout between Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’, declaring the shock jock made a critical error by airing his frustrations with his longtime co-host live on radio.
Speaking on the Behind the Mic with Mike E podcast, Fordham said the moment that triggered the crisis inside ARN’s biggest radio show should never have played out in public.
“It shouldn’t have happened on air. It should not have happened on air. If Kyle had said to Jackie off air, ‘Babe, your interest in astrology is driving me nuts’, I reckon Jackie probably would have said ‘oh right’.”
The comments follow a dramatic on-air clash last month during which Henderson was left in tears after Sandilands accused her of letting her interest in astrology interfere with her work.
During the broadcast, Sandilands had lashed out: “It’s affecting other things, like your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable. You’re off with the fairies with this s***. It’s mental.”
Top Image: Kyle Sandilands