Dave Hughes has delivered a blunt verdict on ARN’s eye-watering $200million deal with axed radio stars Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson – declaring the executives behind it ‘insane‘.
The veteran comedian, 55, exclusively told Daily Mail he was not surprised The Kyle and Jackie O Show was scrapped earlier this month, pointing to a rapidly changing media landscape.
‘I don’t wish anyone badly, but it is a tough time for the industry… and that is a massive contract to try to pay for,’ Dave began.
The comic argued the deal was fundamentally unsustainable, insisting the money simply isn’t there in modern radio, something Hughes would be all too aware of, as his 2Day FM show Hughesy, Ed and Erin was axed in 2024.
‘It is a tough one, I don’t think the money is in the industry. It is a tricky one when the world is changing so much,’ he added.
While Hughes acknowledged the duo’s popularity, he questioned whether any talent could justify such a staggering salary in the current climate.
Dave Hughes has delivered a blunt verdict on ARN’s eye-watering $200million deal with axed radio stars Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
The veteran comedian, 55, exclusively told Daily Mail he was not surprised The Kyle and Jackie O Show was scrapped earlier this month, pointing to a rapidly changing media landscape
‘Obviously they are popular and they can work. But can anyone command that sort of wage and keep a company afloat… You just want to make sure that everyone can get by,’ he said.
He suggested the sheer size of the contract may have had broader consequences for the network, potentially limiting opportunities for other staff.
‘You don’t want a contract which means other people can’t work. Whoever signed off on it is insane, basically,’ he said.
‘They did not read the tea leaves about what is going on in the industry, or the world. Everything is changing, you have to move with the times.’
Hughes also weighed in on former Triple M host Marty Sheargold, 54, and whether he could stage a comeback after his controversial exit in February 2025 following backlash over his ‘sexist’ comments about The Matildas.
‘I have got no ill will towards him. I think he can bounce back, I don’t write anyone off,’ Dave said.
Dave has a new comedy show out called Cooked, which he will be performing at the upcoming Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals, where no topic is off-limits – tickets are available to purchase online.
The comedian has had a long-running feud with Kyle Sandilands, and in March last year things came to a head.
The Warrnambool-born comic argued the deal was fundamentally unsustainable, insisting the money simply isn’t there in modern radio
Hughes also weighed in on former Triple M host Marty Sheargold, 54, and whether he could stage a comeback after his controversial exit in February following backlash over comments about The Matildas
At the time, the comedian said he had ‘no empathy’ for Kyle following the KIIS FM star’s shock brain aneurysm diagnosis.
Jackie invited Dave onto The Kyle and Jackie O Show to clear the air.
‘I don’t want another feud. Let’s calm the waters,’ Jackie said to her co-host.
‘I don’t want two people I like to be at war with each other.’
Before bringing Hughesy into the chat, Jackie took listeners through the timeline of conflict between the pair.
The first salvo was fired way back in 2007 when Dave called Kyle a ‘massive d***head’ while on stage at the Logies.
Jackie then mentioned an interview Kyle gave to Andrew Denton on Enough Rope that same year.
In the chat, Kyle said of Hughes: ‘I could murder him and feel completely at ease with the world.’
‘You also said that you had a desire to punch Dave in the throat,’ she added.
Jackie then brought up an alleged Twitter war that erupted in 2009, a war that Kyle said he had no part in.
‘That can’t be true because I have never been on Facebook, Twitter, X, Instagram,’ he protested.
‘I’ve never ever posted anything in my life, nor have I got into a Twitter war. That’s totally not true. I’ve never tweeted ever. Anyone ever, for anything.’
Jackie then made the shock confession that it was, in fact, she who was posing as her co-host firing barbs at Hughes.