Jackie O lawyers up, declares she didn’t quit, after show iced

Jackie “O” Henderson has engaged lawyers after KIIS FM’s owners terminated her $10 million a year contract, declaring she did not resign from her radio show with Kyle Sandilands.

Henderson said she wanted to make clear that she had not quit or resigned, in response to what she described as “speculation and misinformation” about her departure this week.

Radio company ARN, which owns the KIIS network that was home to the Kyle & Jackie O Show, announced on Tuesday that Henderson had said she could not work with Sandilands. It said it had terminated her $100 million, 10-year contract as a result but it offered her a new show on undisclosed terms. ARN suspended Sandilands for two weeks and said it would tear up his contract too unless he could fix what it described as “serious misconduct”.

Henderson said, in a statement via her manager Gemma O’Neill: “I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else.

“The current media narrative does not reflect what actually occurred, and it has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels.

“Thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages of support during what has been an incredibly challenging time.”

The pair signed a 10-year deal in 2023 worth $200 million. That deal began last year and was set to run until the end of 2034. But the terms of that contract, which have not been disclosed, require the pair to deliver The Kyle & Jackie O Show together, according to company sources.

The break-up of Australia’s most famous media personalities has dominated headlines all week, after the company’s plans to expand the show into Melbourne yielded poor ratings and launches in Brisbane and Adelaide were put on ice.

Henderson went off-air after Sandilands berated her during a live broadcast on February 20, claiming she had become obsessed with horoscopes and that she had been distracted from work.

“You’re off with the fairies, you are unfocused, you don’t give a shit … everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” Sandilands told Henderson during the show as she fought back tears.

ARN declined to comment on Henderson’s statement.

But several senior company sources, speaking anonymously due to the legal sensitivities surrounding the matter, said they were surprised by the content and wording of the statement.

This masthead has previously reported that sources familiar with the Kyle & Jackie O show expect Sandilands to sue over the fate of his contract, which ARN is expected to terminate unless he can persuade Henderson to return to the show they broadcast together.

Sandilands and Henderson have repeatedly faced controversies over offensive remarks and stunts but they have always bounced back.

But their show, which is currently suspended, had come to be a financial issue for ARN because it had faltered in the Melbourne market and was being targeted by activists, diminishing its appeal for advertisers.

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