Controversial former radio host Kyle Sandilands has revealed that he received death threats following his high-profile exit from KIIS FM, according to ABC News. Sandilands made the claims during an interview with former Canberratimes host Karl Stefanovic on his podcast, which was released on YouTube.
Kyle Sandilands Reveals Death Threats Following High-Profile KIIS FM Exit
Sandilands stated that multiple threatening letters were left at his office earlier in the year following his departure from the breakfast show he co-hosted with Jackie “O” Henderson. There were death threats, letters in my office explaining, ‘If you ever do anything on any platform, we’ll kill you, we’ll hunt you down’
, Sandilands said during the podcast appearance. I know these people are lunatics, but what if just one of those lunatics has a weapon? Do you ever think about that?
The former shock-jock suggested that society is entering an assassination culture
that originates from the United States. He pointed to the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in New York as an example of escalating violence toward public figures.
On-Air Fallout and Legal Battle With ARN Media
The fallout stemmed from an on-air clash on February 20 during the Kyle and Jackie O Show, where Sandilands told Henderson that her interest in astrology made her almost unworkable
. Henderson subsequently informed the show’s owner, ARN Media, that she could no longer work with him, leading to Sandilands being terminated weeks later for gross misconduct.
Reflecting on the dismissal, Sandilands said, I was one year into the 10-year plan, and then, due to someone’s bad mood, that was it.
He added that the legal battle had left him disillusioned with the justice system, noting that he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers only for someone to say, ‘It was gross misconduct, you’re fired.’
Despite his wealth, Sandilands claimed the experience left him feeling like a little person
facing a system designed to squash individuals down.
Meanwhile, Henderson has launched Federal Court proceedings against ARN Media, alleging the network failed to act on bullying and psychosocial safety complaints regarding Sandilands’s conduct. Sandilands rejected accusations that he was a workplace bully, stating that women had previously resigned from other stations specifically to work for him.
Ratings Drop and Future Plans in Digital Media
The departure of the prominent duo has significantly impacted KIIS FM’s audience metrics. According to bandt.com.au, Sydney breakfast figures for KIIS FM dropped sharply following the axing, falling to a 7.1 per cent audience share and seeing cumulative audiences decline as younger listeners left the network.
Moving past legacy media, Sandilands has launched a subscription podcast venture titled KS Live, stating he has already secured enough funding to operate for three years. During the podcast, he and Stefanovic also discussed potential future collaborations, including the prospect of teaming up to form a new corporation featuring former radio personality Ray Hadley.
Worth a look