Insiders have claimed that “the worst is yet to come” for ARN following the shocking demise of The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Insiders claim that ARN is “bracing itself” for further controversy following the disintegration of The Kyle and Jackie O Show this week.
News that Jackie would not be returning to their hit KIIS show sensationally broke on Tuesday evening, after she refused to return to work after an on-air spat with Kyle on February 20.
Sources close to ARN have now claimed that a “raft” of complaints is expected to hit the radio broadcaster in the coming weeks as fallout from The Kyle and Jackie O Show fiasco continues to dominate headlines.
“One thing is certain – the worst seems yet to come,” insiders warnedThe Australian.
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O are over.
Sources told the publication that ARN is braced for a possible slew of complaints about the culture of bullying and harassment that was considered a “rite of passage” in the industry.
The fresh reports come after insiders claimed that the pair’s feud has been bubbling away behind the scenes for some time, as early as the beginning of 2024.
“The dynamic between them started to change after Jackie came back from her rehab stint; it didn’t change straight away, because she was still keeping the rehab thing a secret, and Kyle was loving the ‘new Jackie’,” a source explained.
“Things changed around 2024 when she finally spoke out about being in rehab, and she read an excerpt from her book on-air, and she was getting super emotional, and he couldn’t handle the heaviness.
“I am more shocked that Jackie has actually done it. Everyone inside took bets on how long it would last before she walked,” the source continued.
Kyle and Jackie O have had a major falling out. Picture: Supplied.
It all came to a head following an on-air row last month. Picture: Supplied.
“They drifted, and he pushed her out. Not sure if this will save the radio industry or completely end it.”
But there’s hope for Kyle, despite everything that’s gone down over the last few days. One industry insider told news.com.au that ARN are likely to take Kyle back, even if they would prefer to cut ties.
“All things considered I think ARN will have to take him back and pretend they’re happy about it,” they predicted.
During their on-air fight last month, which reduced Jackie to tears, Kyle claimed that her interest in star signs and astrology was impacting her ability to do her job.
“Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” he said.
Jackie argued that he wasn’t being “fair,” but the shock jock doubled down, calling her “off with the fairies”.
She said she was “totally offended” by his comments and argued that she would never critique him like that.
“You’ve had your head looking into the stars; it is too much, and it is affecting everything else. Every segment and every time you’ve spoken, you don’t know what is going on,” he said.
Kyle went on to claim that “everyone else in the building” had spoken about it with him, including management, and said, “What is going on with Jackie?”
Jackie has not been on air with Kyle since those comments, after more than 20 years of broadcasting together.