Jackie ‘O’ Henderson may be out of the radio game for good, a celebrity publicist has revealed.
Max Markson told A Current Affair on Wednesday that while Jackie’s co-star Kyle Sandilands is likely to continue to host The Kyle and Jackie O Show in a new guise, he would not be surprised if Jackie has bowed out of a career on the airwaves.
Markson believes that Jackie will soon be replaced, with a new star taking the seat alongside Kyle.
‘He’s got another eight and a half years to go. Um, and he’ll get another partner for his show, which will be a woman,’ Markson said.
While Jackie has been offered the chance of taking on a new show on KIIS FM, Markson doubts she will take it.
‘And then, for Jackie, I think she’s walked away from the whole deal,’ he said.
Several high-profile Australian celebrities are being name-dropped as potential replacements after Jackie sensationally quit The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday.
The frontrunner is veteran presenter Sophie Monk, 46, whose extensive TV and radio career includes frequent guest appearances on the KIIS FM show.
Sophie has developed a reputation for her down-to-earth nature, cheeky banter and a willingness to not take things too seriously.
These qualities make her a prime candidate for filling Jackie O’s shoes, should Kyle return to the hosting gig following his two-week suspension.
And fans online seem to agree, as many have since flocked to social media to call for Jackie to be replaced by Sophie.
‘Really hoping for The Kyle and Sophie Show. They have awesome chemistry!’ one person wrote.
‘Put Kyle and Sophie Monk together. Kyle also makes Australian Idol better,’ added another.
Some even went so far as to leave direct messages on Sophie’s Instagram page, begging her to join Kyle on his radio show.
‘Please speak to Kyle Sandilands about teaming up with him… you’d be absolutely awesome!’ said one.
Other potential candidates to replace Jackie could include several veteran radio stars, including Amanda Keller, Chrissie Swan and Fifi Box, or even reality TV stars looking to make a career change.
It has also been speculated that should Sandilands not return to the program, KIIS FM will bring on a new duo of breakfast stars to fill the spot.
‘You can’t replace a show like Kyle and Jackie O. You just do the best you can and hope the audience will find a way and be patient with whatever you put in, in its place,’ Craig Bruce, who was previously program director at 2DayFM during Kyle and Jackie’s reign at the station, told MediaWeek.
‘It’s going to be a really high-risk, high-reward act for anyone to go in and be the next show.’
ARN announced on Tuesday that Jackie’s $100 million contract has been terminated after she told executives she ‘cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands’ following his harsh comments on air that left her in tears.
ARN has offered Jackie the possibility of an alternative show on the network.