Bullying or entertainment? Kyle Sandilands argues that fights with Jackie O were ratings gold for Kiis FM |
When all your conversations on and off air are recorded it’s impossible to deny what was said. But in The Kyle and Jackie O Show’s multimillion-dollar legal dispute the warring parties are arguing about when those heated exchanges before a hot mic were bullying and when they were content. Content for which the radio station paid its stars a hefty $20m a year.
In fresh documents filed in the federal court it’s revealed that when Kyle Sandilands walked out after a fight with Jackie “O” Henderson in 2023 she said “people would tune in for” a podcast on the fight and it would “probably get our highest ratings”. A podcast was produced and given the catchy title “Kyle & Jackie’s unheard EXPLOSIVE off air fight”.
“Yesterday’s show ended quite abruptly when Kyle left,” it said. “It all seemed quite heated but Jackie has cleared the air with what really happened. Have a listen for all the details.”
In March Sandilands was sacked by ARN Media and the top-rating show was cancelled, sparking a wave of legal claims from all parties.
Backed up by multiple examples of heated exchanges Sandilands has asserted that the conduct his former bosses now say was “serious misconduct” and warranted his sacking was “publicly exploited”. He said Kiis FM management had “sought to monetise the conduct” and had given him the impression his conversations with Henderson were “not unacceptable”.
Similarly, when Henderson disparaged Sandilands for taking sick days, the behaviour was “encouraged”, Sandilands said in defence documents to the company’s cross-claim. This led the shock jock to assume the “conduct was not unacceptable”.
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The documents detail episodes when the pair used ChatGPT as a therapist,........