Shock jock Kyle Sandilands says he expects ARN Media to honour his $100 million contract, but is considering “many options”.
ARN Media took The Kyle and Jackie O Show off-air after Sandilands lashed his KIIS FM co-host Jackie “O” Henderson in an on-air tirade on February 20.
The network suspended Sandilands on March 3 and gave him two weeks to respond to misconduct and breach of contract findings, allegations which he has denied.
Kyle Sandilands says he’s considering “many options” when asked about his future with ARN outside his home in Sydney. (ABC News)
With the two-week deadline expiring on Tuesday, Sandilands said outside his Sydney home that he hoped ARN would honour the remainder of his contract, which does not finish until 2034.
“I still want to do the show, the listeners want me back on there doing the show,” he said.
“At the end of the day I’ve got a contract with ARN, I expect for them to honour that, and I do have some options if they don’t.”
Kyle Sandilands was taken off the air after he insulted co-host Jackie “O” Henderson on their popular radio show. (Supplied)
When asked what options he was considering and if his time with KIIS FM was over, Sandilands said he was “still waiting”.
“I can’t predict anything just yet…still waiting,” he said.
ARN Media, which owns KIIS FM, announced in an ASX statement on March 3 that Henderson said she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands” and would no longer present the program.
Sandilands was suspended, with the network giving him two weeks to respond to misconduct and breach of contract findings.
At the centre of their falling out was an on-air argument on February 20, in which Sandilands claimed Henderson’s fixation with horoscopes and astrology made her “almost unworkable”.
Sandilands and Henderson have worked together for two decades. (Facebook: The Kyle and Jackie O Show)
Sandilands has previously refuted claims he breached his ARN Media contract and accepted Henderson had been hurt by his comments.
“I said things I wish I had said differently,” he said in a statement.
“That same evening, I sent Jackie a message telling her I was sorry for anything I said that didn’t go down well, that I love her and care for her, and that I could have handled it better.”
Henderson took leave from the show before it was taken off the air, with Sandilands addressing her absence while poking fun at media reports which suggested their feud had escalated.
“I don’t think it’s escalated. I obviously upset her and maybe in hindsight I shouldn’t have said it on the air,” he told The Kyle and Jackie O Show last month.
“We say a lot of things on the air here. It’s never meant to hurt her feelings.
“Obviously it did, and I regret hurting her feelings.”
Henderson rejected claims she had quit or resigned from the show, and said the incident had left her in shock.
“This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else,” she said in a statement.
“At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal avenues.”
The duo had been expected to remain on air until at least 2034 as part of a $200 million contract with ARN Media.