Kyle Dalton Sandilands is an Australian radio and TV personality. He is currently the host with Jacqueline Henderson, better known as
Jackie OJacqueline Ellen Marie Henderson, better known as Jackie O, is an Australian commercial radio host, actress and television presenter. She is best-known nationally for presenting The Hot Hits, the Hot 30 Countdown, Take 40 Australia and the Kyle & Jackie O on 2Day FM with Kyle Sandilands and for...
, on the weekday morning radio program
The Kyle and Jackie O Show on
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
radio station
2Day FMNot to be mixed up with Today FM in Ireland.2Day FM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and part of Austereo's Today Network.- Transmission :...
,
The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power which airs on selected
Today NetworkThe Today Network is a network of Contemporary Hit Radio stations run by Southern Cross Austereo in Australia.-Affiliates:-History:The Today Network started when the Austereo Radio Network secured the first commercial FM licence in Adelaide in 1980. Austereo launched a station called Double SA FM,...
stations across Australia and also on
Take40 AustraliaTake 40 Australia is Australia's first and longest-running music countdown, created by MCM Entertainment, Pty Ltd.The Take 40 Australia brand encompasses radio, online, and television. First hitting the airwaves in 1984, Take 40 Australia was hosted by Barry Bissell for 20 years, until he passed...
.
From 2005 to 2009, Sandilands served as a judge on
Australian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
. In 2008, he became the host of
Big Brother, alongside Jackie O. In 2010, he became a judge on
Australia's Got TalentAustralia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
and also on Australia's version of
The X Factor.
Radio
Sandilands landed his first radio job with a Brisbane station by using a false resumé to impress one of the station's executives. In 1999, he moved to Sydney, and commenced at 2DayFM as host of the
Hot30 CountdownThe Hot30 Countdown, is an Australian radio show hosted by Matty Acton and Maude Garrett. It is broadcast on the Today Network to every state in Australia, following 'The Dirt'....
, replacing "
Ugly Phil O'NeilUgly Phil O'Neil is a radio DJ/announcer. He was born in the United Kingdom, and lived the majority of his life in Australia. Before adopting the on-air name of Ugly Phil he was known on-air as Phil O'Neil...
", a former husband of Henderson.
Much media coverage of Sandilands has focused on the negative aspects of his personality and behaviour, notably his widely publicised clashes with and/or criticism of other media figures, his intemperate on-air outbursts and his alleged "out of control" ego. In September 2006, Sandilands was named the most hated Australian identity in a
Zoo WeeklyZoo is a weekly lads' magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, as the second weekly men's magazine in the UK after the similar and rival magazine Nuts)...
article, although on 14 October 2006, Sandilands and Henderson were named "Best On-Air Team" at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
In August 2009,
The Kyle and Jackie O Show was put into "indefinite recess" by the Austereo network as a result of a controversial on-air stunt on his morning show on 29 July 2009. He returned to his radio show on 18 August 2009 but was suspended on 9 September 2009 due to on-air comments relating to Magda Szubanski. In the same year he was again named the most hated by
Zoo WeeklyZoo is a weekly lads' magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, as the second weekly men's magazine in the UK after the similar and rival magazine Nuts)...
. Sandilands and Henderson were the hosts of the nationally-syndicated chart show
The Hot Hits, before swapping host roles with Andrew Günsberg in December 2009, who had previously hosted
Take40 AustraliaTake 40 Australia is Australia's first and longest-running music countdown, created by MCM Entertainment, Pty Ltd.The Take 40 Australia brand encompasses radio, online, and television. First hitting the airwaves in 1984, Take 40 Australia was hosted by Barry Bissell for 20 years, until he passed...
, but is now being hosted by both Sandilands and Henderson.
Australian Idol
In 2005, Sandilands replaced Ian "Dicko" Dickson as one of the judges on
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's
Australian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
. Sandilands continued as a judge on
idol until just before the premiere of its
seventh seasonThe seventh and final season of the Australian Idol series began on 9 August 2009, to determine who would succeed Season 6 winner, Wes Carr. Beginning amid controversy, judge Kyle Sandilands was replaced by Sony Music record executive, Jay Dee Springbett. It was the first season where all four...
, he was dropped from the show in August 2009. Sandilands was involved in a number of controversies relating to remarks to contestants as his stint as a judge. In October 2005, Sandilands referred to the eventual 2005
idol winner
Kate DeAraugoKatherine Jenna "Kate" DeAraugo, pronounced de roosh , is an Australian singer-songwriter who was the third winner of Australian Idol in 2005. After idol, DeAraugo signed to Sony BMG and released her debut single, "Maybe Tonight", in November 2005. The single debuted and peaked at Number 1 on the...
's arms as "
tuckshopA tuck shop is a small, food-selling retailer. It is a term principally used in the UK, Grenada, South Africa, New Zealand, the Australian states of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, and occasionally in other parts of the former British Empire. In New South Wales, the term is...
lady arms". In September 2006, Sandilands told 2006
idol runner up contestant
Jessica MauboyJessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
to lose her "jelly belly". A year later, Sandilands referred to
idol contestant
Bobby FlynnRobert Andrew "Bobby" Flynn is an Australian singer-songwriterThe band made a nationwide tour through Australia in 2007, appearing in many regional centres including Burnie, Wagga Wagga, Townsville and Lismore....
as a "mong" - a derogatory slang term for mongoloid, referring to people suffering from
Down syndromeDown syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
. Sandilands claimed that he meant no disrespect to those suffering from Down Syndrome. On 3 August 2009, Network Ten issued a press statement announcing that Sandilands had been sacked from
Australian Idol, citing the network's view that the
Kyle and Jackie O Show's content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of
Idol.
Big Brother
On 14 July 2007, two weeks before the season finale, Sandilands appeared on the
2007 Australian seasonBig Brother Australia 2007 was the seventh season of the Australian reality television series Big Brother Australia. Episodes were broadcast on Network Ten in Australia, and the first episode aired on 22 April 2007...
of
Big Brother. In an attempt to boost poor ratings and to promote the 2007 season of
Australian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
, Sandilands entered the Gold Coast compound and was due to conduct his radio program in house on the Monday morning. However, after a heated verbal exchange with Big Brother, Sandilands reportedly required anti-nausea injections for migraines and began vomiting every 30 minutes. He left the house soon after. In 2008, Sandilands and Henderson became the hosts of the
2008 seasonBig Brother Australia 2008 was the eighth season of the Australian reality television series, Big Brother Australia to air on Network Ten. Episodes were broadcast on Network Ten and Ten HD in Australia. The first episode aired on 28 April 2008. Since then, there has been a total 20 housemates...
of
Big Brother replacing
Gretel KilleenGretel Killeen is an Australian journalist and author. Killeen is well known for being the primary host of Big Brother Australia from its inception in 2001 until the 2007 season ....
. The ratings for the launch of the 2008 series were the lowest in the show's history, and Network Ten ultimately confirmed that it would not continue past the current season.
Australia's Got Talent
In January 2010, it was announced that Sandilands and
Brian McFaddenBrian Nicholas McFadden , is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Irish boyband Westlife...
, became the new judges on the fourth season of
Australia's Got TalentAustralia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
replacing former judges,
Tom BurlinsonTom Burlinson is an Australian actor and singer.He attended Pittwater High School on Sydney's Northern Beaches and was the School Captain in his final year...
and
Red SymonsRedmond Symons is an Australian musician, writer, actor and radio host, probably best known as lead guitarist with Skyhooks and as the snide judge of "Red Faces", a segment of the long-running Hey Hey It's Saturday variety television show...
. During one of the show's auditions, Sandilands was again involved in another controversy relating to a contestant on the show. Sandilands had asked contestant Heather Cook, "Are you male or female?". When Cook tried to make light of being asked if she was male or female, Sandilands then made a joke about her weight, saying "You're a belly full of laughs". Sandilands then added he wasn't hired to be "bland and boring", he was just being honest.
The X Factor
In May 2010, it was announced that Sandilands would be one of the new judges on the
second seasonThe X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The 2010 season premiered on 30 August 2010 and was won by Altiyan Childs on 22 November 2010. Ronan Keating emerged as the winning mentor of the series...
of
The X Factor Australia, alongside other new judges
Ronan KeatingRonan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
,
Guy SebastianGuy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
and
Natalie ImbrugliaNatalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
. On 16 March 2011, Sandilands announced on his breakfast radio show that he would not be returning as a judge on the third season of The X Factor.
Controversies
In July 2004, Sandilands and Henderson were involved in an on-air verbal altercation with Jay Whalley, lead singer of rock band
Frenzal RhombFrenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1992 with mainstay Jason Whalley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. In 1996, Lindsay McDougall joined the line-up on lead guitar and backing vocals. Two of the group's albums have peaked into the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart, A...
over an incident which occurred at the
bassinthegrassBassinthegrass is an Australian music festival. It is the largest music festival in the Northern Territory, and has been held annually since 2003 at the Darwin Amphitheatre in the territory capital...
music festival in
DarwinDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. Henderson reportedly arrived to
MCA Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
the concert nine hours late and then attempted to speak with the audience during the band's already dramatically reduced set time. Frenzal Rhomb played music over Jackie O so she could not be heard on stage. In a subsequent phone conversation with Whalley, broadcast on the
Kyle and Jackie O Show, Whalley alleged that Jackie O and Sandilands threatened Frenzal Rhomb's label to have Frenzal Rhomb's songs banned from Austereo radio stations. As a result of the incident Sandilands' old friend and manager Ryan Wellington was removed as the producer of the
Kyle and Jackie O Show by the Austereo network.
In July and August 2005, Sandilands was accused of "cooking the charts" by giving airplay to
Ooh Aah"Ooh Aah" is the debut single by Australian singer Tamara Jaber. The song, based on a childhood rhyme , frequently appears at the top of "Worst Australian Songs" of all time lists with lyrics like "Boys are rotten made outta cotton, girls are sexy made outta Pepsi" heavily criticized...
(a song by his then girlfriend, Tamara Jaber). The allegations were made on TV current affairs program
Today TonightToday Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
. In 2006 Sandilands won a defamation suit, with the court ruling that
Today TonightToday Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
had defamed the radio host.
On 4 August 2006, Sandilands used his radio program to call Fiona Connolly, a columnist from
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's
Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
, "fat" and a "liar". After calling her the "
chick that I hate at Sydney Confidential" he also stated he "... would hire a private investigator to film her and her family then I'm going to put it on a website and I'm going to show everyone what members of her family do that are dodgy ..." He has since been banned by Austereo management from mentioning Connolly on air.
In March 2007, Sandilands made an on-air reference to a police officer who had issued him a speeding ticket, referring to the officer as an "arsehole" and to the Highway Patrol as "scum". This was reported on the media watchdog show
Media Watch as 'Kyle Bile'.
On 2 July 2007, Sandilands and Jackie O were involved in a on-air clash with Australian music personality Molly Meldrum, who described Sandilands as "arrogant", "fat" and "talentless".
On 20 August 2007,
Media Watch examined Sandilands' on-air comments asserting that smoking was not as harmful to people as many institutions would lead people to believe and that the statistics presented by these institutions are falsified. These comments led to the
Cancer Institute of New South WalesThe Cancer Institute of New South Wales was established in July 2003 by the New South Wales state government through the Cancer Institute NSW Act 2003...
pulling their "13-QUIT" advertisements off the network.
Media Watch further reported that on 20 July 2009 Jackie O and Sandilands 'cruelly' and 'sadistically' taunted a
refugeeA refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
from
Pol Pot'sSaloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
Cambodia and meted out similar treatment to the woman's 19 year-old niece whilst on-air.
In 2011, he was described as a "loudmouth misogynist" after attacking a television journalist on-air.
Enough Rope interview
On 22 August 2007 Sandilands was interviewed by
Andrew DentonAndrew Christopher Denton is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique...
for
Enough RopeEnough Rope with Andrew Denton is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC Television in Australia...
. During the interview Sandilands said he wanted to "punch
Dave HughesDavid William "Hughesy" Hughes is an Australian stand-up comedian, radio and television presenter. He is currently co-host on the Network Ten's The Project and Before the Game as well as the breakfast radio show Hughesy and Kate.-Television:Hughes co-hosted the ABC comedy talk show The Glass House...
in the throat" next time he saw him. This was in response to Hughes' reference to Sandilands as a "dickhead" on another program. A subsequent article in
The Sydney Morning Herald cited unspecified reports which claimed that Sandilands was left in a "hostile state" by Denton's questions about Sandilands' need to take personal responsibility for the results of his actions on air.
Lie detector radio segment
On 29 July 2009, Sandilands and co-host, Henderson, were leading a segment on their regular
2Day FMNot to be mixed up with Today FM in Ireland.2Day FM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and part of Austereo's Today Network.- Transmission :...
morning show in which a 14 year old girl was strapped to a
lie detector"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
while the child's mother, Sandilands and Henderson questioned her, including questions about her prior experience with sex and drugs. Sandilands was participating in the radio show from New Zealand via hookup. Before questioning started Jackie Henderson had propositioned to the mother "
What’s your worst fear? Is it the sex?".
The girl started by saying, "
I'm scared. It's not fair". Sandilands said, "
She is scared everyone. Yeah." The segment went astray when the girl revealed she had been raped at the age of 12. The girl had been asked by her mother if she had any sexual experience. After a long pause, Sandilands then clarified "
Right ... is that the only experience you've had?".
The segment was widely criticised by health professionals, media commentators, the
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Kevin RuddKevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
, and the public. The controversy was reported internationally. A group of 15 high-profile psychologists, academics and child advocates wrote to
The AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
calling for the show to be cancelled. They suggested the show had been the venue for
child abuseChild abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
and a gross violation of human rights. The
Kyle and Jackie O Show continued broadcasting on the Thursday and Friday mornings after the offending segment had been broadcast. In the days after the stunt Sandilands said on air:
"We’re very sad for the girl and very disappointed and apologetic to anyone who took offence to it."
On 3 August 2009 Network Ten issued a press statement announcing that Sandilands had been sacked from
Australian Idol, citing the network's view that the Kyle and Jackie O Show's content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of
Idol. It is understood that guest judges will replace him for the rest of the season. It was also announced that the
Kyle and Jackie O Show on 2Day FM and
The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power are in recess until a review is completed. A Network Ten spokesman said of Sandilands' firing:
"Idol has remained a family-focused show, even more so this year with the 6.30pm Sunday timeslot. His radio persona has taken on a more controversial position ... which is not in the interest of the show."
Responding to his firing from
Australian Idol, Sandilands said in a statement, "
I'm disappointed at Channel 10's decision to remove me from Australian Idol
. I have truly loved being a part of the show." Network Ten had held crisis talks with advertisers in the days prior to his firing amid concerns Sandilands would damage their brands. Idol creator
Simon FullerSimon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
reportedly gave Ten his blessing to fire Sandilands. It was believed Sandilands earns
A$The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1 million of his estimated annual A$2.8 million income from
Idol. The suspension of the radio show had been announced on Sunday 2 August 2009. The show's usual 6:00 am to 9:00 am slot on 3 August was filled by Chris Page who announced that "
They have not been suspended ... the show has not finished." Page then re-read Austereo general manager Jenny Parkes' statement on air just after 6:30am.
"Kyle Sandilands's management has advised Austereo that he is unable to perform his duties on-air at this time. Further, following a great deal of consideration and having consulted Jackie O and all stakeholders, Austereo has formed the view that it is in the interest of all parties for the [program] to go into recess until we have completed an across-the-networks review of the principals [sic] and protocols of our interaction with our audience."
Advertisers
American ExpressAmerican Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
,
OptusSingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
,
QantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
and Channel 10 withdrew their advertising from the 2Day FM morning show the week after the incident. Sandilands hired plain-clothed security guards to protect his home after staff from various media organisations began to gather outside his residence. On 13 August 2009, Austereo chairman Peter Harvie and chief executive Michael Anderson said Jackie O and Sandilands will be back on air on 18 August 2009.
Magda Szubanski
On 9 September 2009, Sandilands was suspended for two weeks after making comments that were alleged to racially and religiously vilify
Magda SzubanskiMagda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and author.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer...
, an Australian TV host and comedian. Sandliands said on-air:
“You put her in a concentration camp and you watch the weight fall off … like she could be skinny”. Sandilands and Henderson were debating who should be the next face of weight-loss company
Jenny CraigJenny Craig is an American weight loss guru and founder of Jenny Craig, Inc. Craig was raised in New Orleans and married Sidney Harvey Craig in 1979. In 1983, she and her husband created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia...
. Szubanski had recently lost 25 kg using the Jenny Craig program during a well-documented public weight battle. Szubanski, whose father was a
Polishthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
resistance fighter during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, told
ninemsnninemsn is an Australian 50/50 joint venture between Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co.. It effectively acts as the website for both the Nine Network and MSN, and is one of Australia's most popular websites...
news "I couldn’t give two hoots about what Kyle says about me, but to trivialise what happened to people in concentration camps is abhorrent." Jewish groups also criticised Sandilands and once again called for his sacking.
Sexist Comments
After the debut airing of
Kyle and Jackie O's Night with the Stars on 22 November 2011, the subsequent ratings that were released showed that the program 'poorly performed' with only 200,000 viewers at the conclusion of the program. Several critics including news.com.au journalist, Alison Stephenson branded the show a 'disaster' and 'awkward'. During the radio airing of the
Kyle and Jackie O Show on 23 November, Kyle made direct sexist comments towards Stephenson, on-air Sandilands said,
"You're a bullshit artist, girl. You should be fired from your job" Kyle then made derogatory comments about her appearance,
"Your hair's very '90s. And your blouse. You haven't got that much titty to be having that low cut a blouse. Watch your mouth or I'll hunt you down." Subsequent to the comments, several major sponsors which includes
HoldenGM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
, The Good Guys,
VodafoneVodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
,
TelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, Fantastic Furniture,
PepsiPepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
,
Crazy John'sCrazy John's is a mobile phone retail chain in Australia started by late Turkish/Australian businessman John Ilhan. Crazy John's is the largest independent phone retailer in Australia, employing more than 700 people with over 120 retail stores. Following his death, Mr Ilhan's wife Patricia sold...
, Blackmores and Medibank all withdrew advertisements from either the entire Southern Cross Austereo network which the radio show is hosted on or during the broadcasting of the
Kyle and Jackie O Show. The withdrawal of the advertisement is reported to cost the Austereo radio network over $8 million per year.
On 24 November, Sandilands released a statement during the airing of
The Kyle and Jackie O Show in response to claim that the comments he made were sexist,
"If you took a personal offence to it Ali I'm sorry, but maybe you should think again before you start going (against) different people. If they say I can dish it out but I can't take it, I never ever dish it out first. I only ever retaliate to someone else's crazy allegations." He defended his initial remarks and said that they were his opinions in response to Alison Stephenson's opinions which were posted on news.com.au. During the broadcast, Sandilands also denied that the comments had any sexist intention.
Personal life
On various occasions, including the
Enough Rope interview, Sandilands has spoken to the media of his difficult childhood. Growing up in Wynnum,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, he was deeply affected by his parents' divorce, which happened when he was 10. At 15 his mother and stepfather threw him out of their house after he held a party and damaged their car while they were absent. He never went back, moving between friends' houses and living on the streets. At 17 his father sent him to live in
TownsvilleTownsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
with his aunt, Jill Stevens. Interviewed in 2005, Stevens recalled for the
Sydney Morning Herald that the young Sandilands,
- "... used to listen to that Tammy Wynette song D-I-V-O-R-C-E and just cry and cry. He's never gotten over his parents' divorce ... When he was living on the streets, he used to sit outside his father's house at night and watch the lights go out".
On 26 September 2008, Sandilands married pop singer
Tamara JaberTamara Jaber , is an Australian pop singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a member of pop group, Scandal'us. She is also a former member of pop duo Scarlett Belle.- Early life :...
and the couple shared a house in
St IvesSt Ives is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. St Ives is located 18 kilometres north of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council...
. However, on 12 July 2010 it was reported the couple had split, reportedly as a result of Sandilands loss of
A$The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
700,000 annual income as a judge on
Australian Idol.
External links