Kyle Sandilands says he has apologized to his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and is “devastated” their partnership could end in their first public comments since their shocking split.
In a lengthy statement issued on Tuesday, radio host Kiis FM said the station’s parent company, the Australian Radio Network (ARN), had told him it “could not contact Jackie” or his colleagues following their exit from the $200 million Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday 3 March.
He said ARN terminated Henderson’s contract on the same day he was suspended from work for a fortnight, accusing the media company of failing to carry out a “genuine process”.
“On February 20, I had an argument with Jackie on air about something that had been bothering me for some time,” he said in the statement provided to Guardian Australia.
“I said things I wish I had said differently. That same night, I texted Jackie telling her I was sorry for everything I said and that it didn’t go down well, that I love her and care about her, and that I could have handled it better.
“I meant it, and I still do. Jackie and I have worked together for over 25 years. She is one of the most important people in my life. The thought that our partnership could end like this is devastating to me.”
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On Friday, March 6, Henderson said he “did not resign or resign” from the show and was “deeply sad” that the hit breakfast radio show could be coming to an end.
“This has been a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” he said, appearing to contradict the explanation previously given by ARN, which said that Henderson had “advised that he ‘cannot continue working with Mr. Kyle Sandilands'” and that his contract had been terminated.
ARN told the ASX the show had been taken off the air and Sandilands had been accused of “serious misconduct”.
“ARN has terminated the services agreement with Henderson Media Pty Ltd, under which Ms Henderson presents the Kyle and Jackie O show,” ARN said.
Sandilands said he “did as he was asked” and refrained from speaking to Henderson, “although I found it impossible to do the one thing anyone in my position would want to do: pick up the phone and talk to the person I’ve been talking to continuously my entire career.”
“The truth is that the ARN terminated Jackie’s contract the same day it accused me of non-compliance, suspending me from work,” he said.
“All of this happened while I was being told to sit quietly and not say anything. That’s not a genuine process.”
Sandilands added that he would not pretend that “everything in this situation is simple” and accepted that he hurt his colleague.
“But we’ve had disagreements before and we’ve always worked them out. That’s what partners do,” he said.
“We never needed lawyers or ASX announcements to sort things out. I think we could have sorted this out too if ARN had given us the chance.”
Sandilands said it was committed to its contract with ARN, which is due to run until 2034, and that it did not breach its contract “despite what ARN says”.
“I want to be on the air. I want to be with my audience. I want to do the work I’ve done my entire adult life,” he said.
“I’m asking ARN to do the right thing: honor our agreement and allow me to get back to doing what I do best: entertaining the people who have supported this show for more than two decades.”
A fortnight ago, Henderson became emotional after her on-air partner of 25 years, Sandilands, mocked her for her interest in astrology.
He accused her of not doing her job, of being “unfocused” and “out of the loop” after she dissected Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth chart.
Henderson said in response: “I would never say things like that about you. It’s an outright attack, it really is… to say, ‘You don’t know what’s going on, you’re not doing your job.’ That’s an attack and I wouldn’t do that.”
He did not return to work the following week and after 10 days, ARN said the Kiis breakfast show would go off the air with immediate effect.
ARN has been contacted for comment.
