A media expert has revealed the reason advertisers were pulling away from The Kyle & Jackie O Show long before the radio show sensationally collapsed this week.
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson had her contract terminated and Kyle Sandilands is currently on a two-week suspension after the pair got into a fight on the air.
Now, an advertising director has alleged the show was already struggling to attract advertisers thanks to the activist group Mad F***ing Witches, who are well-known for campaigning against Sandilands, 54, reported The Australian on Wednesday.
Pearman Media founder and managing director Dominic Pearman told the publication he had many clients actively avoid associating themselves with Sandilands and his show because they didn’t want to attract the ire of the activist group.
‘We have clients who basically say they are fundamentally against a particular character [on the show],’ Pearman said.
‘Or we have clients who appear and then the activist group Mad F***ing Witches get involved and then we have to move the spots to other areas in the station.’
A media expert has revealed the reason advertisers were pulling away from The Kyle & Jackie O Show long before the radio show sensationally collapsed this week
Pearman claimed the group will often call and threaten clients who choose to advertise with The Kyle & Jackie O Show, forcing them to pull their ads from the show and place them elsewhere with ARN.
Mad F***king Witches, which boasts a substantial online following, are best known for their campaign against Sandilands and his shock jock antics, citing the ‘revolting and demeaning things’ he says ‘about women and people in minority groups’.
In 2024, the group launched a high-profile campaign titled ‘Vile Kyle’, aimed at mobilising public and advertiser backlash against Sandilands over a series of offensive and misogynistic on-air remarks.
Several major brands, including AMP, Bendigo Bank, Flight Centre and AustralianSuper, later withdrew or reviewed their advertising with the show.
Jennie Hill, the founder of the group, told The Australian the group was ‘very pleased’ to hear The Kyle & Jackie O Show had been pulled from the air amid the conflict between Henderson, 51, and Sandilands.
‘Someone like Kyle Sandilands isn’t fit to broadcast… We do want to make it clear that we don’t necessarily want Kyle sacked,’ she said.
‘What we wanted him to do was to stop saying the revolting and demeaning things that he has always said about women and people in minority groups.’
It comes as Henderson has broken her silence after the collapse of The Kyle & Jackie O Show this week.
An advertising director has alleged the show was already struggling to attract advertisers thanks to the activist group Mad F***ing Witches, who are well-known for campaigning against Sandilands
Speaking via a statement issued by manager Gemma O’Neill late on Friday afternoon, the radio queen claimed she did not quit or resign from the popular KIIS FM breakfast show.
‘Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about my departure from the show,’ Henderson began the statement.
‘I want to make one important point very clear: I did not quit or resign.’
Continuing, Henderson said the ‘narrative’ surrounding the drama was not an accurate reflection of what had occurred.
‘I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending. This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,’ she said.
‘The current media narrative does not reflect what actually occurred, and it has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded.’
The statement continued: ‘At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels.
‘Thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages of support during what has been an incredibly challenging time.’
It comes as Henderson has broken her silence after the collapse of The Kyle & Jackie O Show this week
Sandilands also broke cover on Thursday when Channel Nine captured footage of Sandilands outside his mansion in Sydney’s Vaucluse, where the radio star has been hunkered down amid his suspension from his top-rated breakfast show.
When approached by Nine News and asked, ‘Kyle, is this curtains?’ the shock jock had a simple, six-word response.
‘I can’t really speak mate, sorry,’ Sandilands replied.
The radio titan has ‘called in lawyers’ and is ‘preparing to sue’ ARN should his $100 million contract be terminated following the collapse of KIIS FM’s The Kyle & Jackie O Show, The Australian reported on Thursday.
Sandilands is reportedly seeking a payout for the remainder of that contract, on which he has eight years and $88 million remaining.
The shock jock was accused of ‘serious misconduct’ after his spectacular on-air clash with co-star Henderson, leading to her seemingly quitting the show.
Sandilands is said to have been ‘caught completely off-guard’ by the misconduct allegation as he had been given free rein on the air, with two full-time censors employed by The Kyle & Jackie O Show to ensure he is safeguarded.
The radio star will argue that ARN has no justifiable cause to terminate his contract as the network had promised to be fully liable for his on-air comments, the publication reported.
A source told The Australian that Sandilands would agree to leave his top-rated breakfast program only if he was compensated with ‘the full $100 million he is owed less what he has already been paid’.
KIIS FM’s parent company ARN announced on Tuesday that Henderson’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.
Sandilands has been suspended and given 14 days to ‘remedy’ the breach, or else faces termination.
ARN provided written notice to Sandilands stating that it considers his behaviour during the show on February 20 ‘an act of serious misconduct which is in breach of ARN’s services agreement with Quasar Media’.
The KIIS breakfast show was then taken off-air immediately, with ‘interim arrangements made for the show’.
