The Kyle and Jackie O Show is over, and staff at KIIS FM have been left in disbelief over the show’s demise and indeed their own futures.
On Wednesday morning, newsreader Brooklyn Ross – who has worked on the show for over a decade – told temporary replacement Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small his feelings on what had happened in his first live interview since the announcement on Wednesday.
“We’ve all been listening the past two weeks and how it’s led to this,” he told the host in a live radio chat. “I don’t think anyone can believe what’s happened.”
Watch the video above.
Smallzy, who started the show at 6am with an official statement from the network, told Ross he just wanted to check in with him.
“Can I be honest with you – I do really appreciate you being here this morning because obviously I only got the call up late last night,” Smallzy explained.
“I was like, sure, whatever I need to do to keep the station on the air, but I appreciate you showing up and doing it, because the people are listening right now and it’s a shock to them… 27 years they were together.”
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“Well, I was on the show for 12 years,” Ross added.
The newsreader confirmed he’s great friends with both Jackie and Kyle, before sighing and letting his comment trail off.
“Did you get drunk last night?” Smallzy joked.
“No, I didn’t because I knew I had to work today,” he said, but admitted it might be a possibility for this afternoon.
“It was a great, great ride, so that’s what I’ll always remember,” he added.
Elsewhere in the chat, Ross admitted that none of the staff know what’s going to happen next.
“I don’t know anything about what’s happening from here,” Ross explained. “But I’m obviously still here, which I’m glad about that,” Ross added.
The newsreader said the whole thing has been a bit of a “spin out”, especially watching Smallzy in the studio while he read the news.
Ross is one of the only staffers to have publicly spoken out about the exit, but KIIS’ parent company ARN spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald about what the end of Kyle and Jackie O means for the network.
Speaking anonymously, some said they were “overjoyed” and “relieved” by the news.
One ARN staffer the masthead: “We’ve been through hundreds of lay-offs since [Sandilands and Henderson] signed their contract at the end of 2023.
“The fact is, that outlay has never been justified by the ad revenue they were bringing in. Sure, Kyle and Jackie have always done well in Sydney but Melbourne has been a disaster.
“The initial idea was that we’d introduce the show to Melbourne and then Brisbane before rolling it out nationally – but their performance in Melbourne was so bad that it effectively put the brakes on that plan, which forced the company to make all these severe job cuts.”
“I think it’s fair to say this is a blessing in disguise – or maybe just a blessing, full stop,” said one ARN insider.
“The big risk is that KIIS will lose its No. 1 spot [on the FM ladder] in Sydney if Kyle quits or gets the boot, and that could create all kinds of problems. But you have to look at the bigger picture: we were locked into a $200 million contract that was effectively an albatross around the company’s neck.”
Another ARN employee, who is not based in the company’s Sydney headquarters, said the impact of the job cuts was being felt “in every ARN office around the country”.
“It’s noticeably emptier in here,” the employee said, requesting that their working location be withheld to reduce the risk of being identified by management.
“There are less sales staff, less experienced producers – some of them got the chop because they were highly paid, which meant we lost a lot of talent and institutional knowledge – and just less people overall. You come in every day and see these empty desks, and it’s so disheartening.”
ARN Media confirmed Jackie’s exit from the show on Tuesday afternoon.
It came days after Sandilands berated Henderson on air after she raised the topic of astrology and birth charts during a discussion about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
”Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” Sandilands said.
“You are not doing the rest of the job, and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me.”
A statement by ARN Media confirmed that Jacki would not return as she “cannot continue to work with” her co-host Kyle Sandilands.
Sandilands has also been suspended and warned his contract would be terminated if he does not respond to an allegation of serious misconduct within 14 days.
The statement reads: ”Ms Jacqueline Henderson has given notice that she ‘cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands.
“Accordingly, ARN has terminated the services agreement with Henderson Media Pty Ltd, under which Ms Henderson presents the Kyle and Jackie O show. Ms Henderson will cease to present the Kyle and Jackie O show.
“ARN has also offered to Ms Henderson the possibility of an alternative show on the ARN network.
“ARN has also provided written notice to Mr Kyle Sandilands and Quasar Media Services Pty Ltd (Quasar Media) 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 with Quasar Media, under which Mr Sandilands presents the Kyle and Jackie O show.
“Mr Sandilands has been given 14 days to remedy this breach. If it is not remedied, ARN will terminate the services agreement with Quasar Media, and in that event Mr Sandilands will cease to present the Kyle and Jackie O show.
“During the 14 day period, Mr Sandilands will not take part in the show. The KIIS breakfast show will be taken off-air effective immediately, with interim arrangements made for the show.”
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