Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands has been dramatically suspended his on‑air tirade against co‑host Jackie O was labelled “serious misconduct” and a breach of his contract
Kyle Sandilands has been suspended from KIIS FM’s flagship breakfast program after his employer, ARN Media, ruled that his on‑air behaviour toward long‑time co‑host Jackie “O” Henderson amounted to “serious misconduct” and a breach of his services agreement.
The move comes in the wake of a heated exchange during the 20 February 2026 broadcast of The Kyle and Jackie O Show, in which Sandilands berated Henderson on air, accusing her of being distracted and too focused on astrology during a segment about former Prince Andrew (Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor). Henderson was left in tears and later told management she could not continue working with him.
In an announcement to the ASX and in statements to media on Tuesday, ARN confirmed that Henderson has resigned from the show and that Sandilands has been issued a formal breach notice. The company said it considers his conduct during the 20 February program to be an act of serious misconduct that violates its services agreement with Quasar Media, the production company through which Sandilands provides his services.
According to ARN, the behaviour in question did more than spark an on‑air spat: it was deemed to cross the line set out in Sandilands’ contract regarding professional conduct and workplace standards. In its notice, ARN alleges that his treatment of Henderson breached clauses requiring him to avoid conduct that could damage colleagues, the workplace environment or the company’s reputation. While the exact wording of those clauses has not been made public, ARN has characterised the incident as “serious misconduct” and expressly linked that finding to a contractual breach.
The company has given Sandilands 14 days to “remedy” the breach. During that period, he is barred from appearing on the program, and The Kyle and Jackie O Show has been taken off air, with ARN moving to interim programming in the crucial Sydney breakfast slot. If ARN decides the breach has not been rectified at the end of the 14 days, it has flagged it will terminate its services agreement with Quasar Media, which would end Sandilands’ role on the show.
The suspension and breach notice effectively put the brakes on one of Australia’s most lucrative media deals. In 2023, Sandilands and Henderson signed a 10‑year contract with ARN reported to be worth around A$200 million in total, locking them in until the mid‑2030s and cementing their status as the country’s top‑earning radio duo.
Now, just two years into that deal, the partnership has unravelled. Henderson has formally notified ARN that she will no longer co‑host with Sandilands, and ARN says her separate contract has been terminated, with an offer on the table for her to host another program within the network.
The latest incident comes after years of scrutiny for the show and its star host. The Kyle and Jackie O Show has previously been found to have breached broadcasting decency standards, and Sandilands has repeatedly attracted complaints and regulatory attention over provocative on‑air comments.
This time, however, the fallout has reached the heart of the program’s commercial foundations. For ARN, the suspension and potential termination of Sandilands’ contract raise serious questions about the future of its flagship breakfast franchise and the financial impact of losing a show that regularly drew more than a million listeners and premium advertising dollars.
As the 14‑day remedy period begins, Sandilands remains off air and publicly sidelined from negotiations. Management will now decide whether his response is enough to salvage the contract — or whether one of Australia’s most controversial radio careers on commercial breakfast radio will effectively come to an end.
