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A radio veteran says the collapse of The Kyle and Jackie O show has likely come as a relief for bosses who may have struggled to pay their $200million contract - and reveals why the unlikely duo were never going to last.
KIIS FM's parent company ARN announced on Tuesday that 's . The pair's landmark 10-year deal in 2023 remains the biggest media contract in Australian history.
Henderson told executives she 'cannot continue to work with Mr ' after his harsh on-air comments in late February left her in tears. Sandilands has been suspended and given 14 days to 'remedy' the breach, or else faces termination.
Craig Bruce, who was previously program director at 2DayFM during Kyle and Jackie's reign at the station, shared his thoughts on the clash.
'For people [who] have worked around the show, most have said they suspected it wouldn't last the 10-year contract they had signed,' he told the Daily Mail.
'They are two very different people. There was a lack of communication happening off the air, and in between songs.'
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ARN announced on Tuesday that Jackie 'O' Henderson's contract had been terminated
The co-host of The Kyle and Jackie O Show told executives she 'cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands' after his harsh comments on-air left her in tears
Radio veteran Craig Bruce (centre) said ARN's executives will be relieved the company won't have to continue paying the radio duo an eye-watering $200million in their 10-year contract
Bruce added the termination of their 10-year deal with ARN – in which the hosts were reportedly paid $200million in 2023 and earned approximately $47,000 per episode – would come as a relief to company executives.
'It's too much for any radio show. The money never, ever made any sense,' he said.
'Thank goodness it didn't last 10 years, because I don't know who was going to be paying the bill.
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'There's not going to be that amount of revenue floating around in the radio industry in 10 years from now to pay for a $20-million-a-year show, as they reportedly are.
'The deal was just all in [Sandilands and Henderson's] favour. It was a mistake for ARN to present that to them in the first place and I think they would be relieved today.'
The discontent behind the scenes of the show led to a dramatic on-air meltdown that escalated the pair's personal issues, the radio expert added.
'The culmination of a bunch of conversations that should have happened behind the scenes? There's a blow-up on the radio,' Bruce said.
'I spoke to Kyle last week. He said, "I'm on the air. The mics are on. I'm realising it's going south. And I just kept digging". And that's what has happened.
The show erupted after Kyle Sandilands (pictured) accused co-star Jackie 'O' Henderson of being unfocused at work while on-air on February 20
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Mr Bruce (pictured) said the split could have been prevented through better communication
The Kyle and Jackie O Show kicked off on 2Day FM in 2004 and lasted a decade, before the radio duo made the jump to KIIS FM in 2014 (the pair are pictured)
