Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has broken her silence and released a statement insisting she did not quit or resign from the Kyle and Jackie O Show following her on-air row with co-host Kyle Sandilands.
ARN suspended Sandilands for two weeks after alleged “serious misconduct” and said it had terminated Henderson’s contract because she said she could not work with Sandilands but hoped she would stay on the network with a new show.
“Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure from the show,” Henderson said in the statement to nine.com.au, released by her manager Gemma O’Neill.
“I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign.
“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.
“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,” she said.
“Thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages of support during what has been an incredibly challenging time.”
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On Tuesday, ARN Media – the company that owns KIIS FM – had released a statement of their own confirming Henderson’s departure from the show.
Neither Sandilands or Henderson have spoken out since, until her comments today.
ARN’S statement read: ”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.”
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, sources at the media company say Sandilands “will not take this lying down” if his 14-day suspension results in him losing his job.
One employee told The Sydney Morning Herald the shock jock will “definitely sue” if his role is terminated.
“The agreement with ARN acknowledges the type of performer Kyle is: that he’s robust and a maverick-type character, and that’s something ARN has traded on for many years and gotten a lot of success out of,” they added.
“Kyle’s lawyers are also relying on the agreement he has with ARN that makes numerous mentions of his broadcasting style.”
This view was echoed by media and entertainment law expert Shaun Miller, who told the publication there is precedent for his on-air behaviour not being treated as an offense: “The radio station actually encourages him to be controversial because it’s part of his brand value.”
During their on-air row on February 20, Jackie O read from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s astrology birth chart when things kicked off.
”Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” Sandilands told her, with the pair having worked together for years.
“You are off with the fairies with this s–t, it’s mental.”
He claimed her fixation on astrology charts made her sound like a “drug addict”, knowing Henderson has faced addiction struggles before.
“You are not doing the rest of the job, and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me.”
“You don’t know what the f–k is going on all the time, because you’re looking at that phone, playing in the stars, and it’s ridiculous,” he added in part.
Sandilands and Henderson have been an on-air partnership for 27 years after starting their careers hosting the Top 30 on 2Day FM in 1999.
They moved to breakfast in 2005 and then to KIIS in 2014, where they were under contract in a lucrative $200m 10-year deal that ran until December 2034.
There is currently no word on who might take over KIIS FM’s coveted breakfast show should Sandilands not rectify his breach within 14 days.
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