Kyle Sandilands
history
|birthplace = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
|deathdate =
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|show = The Kyle and Jackie O Show
The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power
Take 40 Australia
|station = 2Day FM
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|style = Breakfast Show Host
|country = Australia
|prevshow =
|web = »King Kyle Productions
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Kyle Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio and TV personality. He was the host, with "Jackie O" (Jackie Henderson), of the nationally-syndicated chart show The Hot Hits, the weekday morning radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney radio station 2Day FM and The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power which airs on selected Today Network stations around the country. Sandilands also co-hosted with Jackie O the 2008 season of Big Brother Australia.
He served as a judge on Australian Idol from 2005 until his sacking from the show in early August 2009. Also in August 2009 his radio program was put into "indefinite recess" by the Austereo network as a result of a controversial on-air stunt on his morning show on 29 July 2009.»Natalie Marshall: "Sandilands radio sacking may follow: expert", Sydney Morning Herald, 4 August 2009 He returned to his radio show on 18 August 2009 but was suspended on 9 September 2009 due to on-air comments relating to Magda Szubanski.»Kyle Sandilands suspended again: this time for 'concentration camp' slur - smh.com.au, 9 September 2009
Career
Radio
Sandilands has stated that he landed his first radio job with a Brisbane station by using a false résumé to impress one of the station's executives. Sandilands moved to Sydney in 1999, replacing Jackie O's ex-husband "Ugly Phil" O'Neil on the Hot30 Countdown.
Much media coverage of Sandilands has focused on the supposed negative aspects of his personality and behaviour, notably his widely publicised clashes with and/or criticism of other media figures, his intemperate on-air outbursts and his alleged "out of control" ego»Marcus Casey, "King Kong Kyle's uber ego", The Daily Telegraph, 4 August 2009. In September 2006, Sandilands was named the most hated Australian identity in a Zoo Weekly article, although on 14 October 2006, Sandilands and Henderson were named "Best On-Air Team" at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
Television
Australian Idol
In 2005 Sandilands replaced Ian "Dicko" Dickson as one of the judges on Network Ten's Australian Idol. Sandilands continued as a judge on Idol until just before the premiere of its seventh season, when he was dropped from the show.
Sandilands was involved in a number of controversies relating to remarks to contestants as his stint as a judge. In October 2005, Sandilands referred to the eventual Australian Idol 2005 judge Kate Ceberano's arms as "tuckshop lady arms". In September 2006, Sandilands told 17 year old Australian Idol contestant Jessica Mauboy to lose her "jelly belly".
In October 2006, Sandilands referred to Australian Idol contestant Bobby Flynn as a "mong" - which is a derogatory slang for the now-dated term mongoloid, referring to people suffering from Down syndrome. Sandilands claimed that he meant no disrespect to those suffering from Down Syndrome. On 3 August 2009 Network Ten issued a press statement announcing that Sandilands had been sacked from Australian Idol, citing the network's view that the Kyle and Jackie O Show's content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of Idol.
Big Brother
On 14 July 2007, two weeks before the season finale, Sandilands appeared on the 2007 season of Big Brother. In an attempt to boost poor ratings and to promote the 2007 season of Australian Idol, Sandilands entered the Gold Coast compound and was due to conduct his radio program in house on the Monday morning. However, after a heated verbal exchange with Big Brother, Sandilands reportedly required anti-nausea injections for migraines and began vomiting every 30 minutes. He left the house soon after.
In 2008 Kyle and Jackie O became the hosts of Big Brother Australia 2008 replacing Gretel Killeen. The ratings for the launch of the 2008 series were the lowest in the show's history, and Network Ten ultimately confirmed that it would not continue past the current season.
In January 2010 it was announced that Kyle Sandilands would become the new judge on Australia's Got Talent alond side Dannii Minogue and friend Brian McFadden. The series is due to air on Channel Seven in the first half 2010.
Controversies
In July 2004, Sandilands and Henderson were involved in an on-air verbal altercation with Jay Whalley, lead singer of rock band Frenzal Rhomb over an incident which occurred at the bassinthegrass music festival in Darwin. Henderson reportedly arrived to MC the concert nine hours late and then attempted to speak with the audience during the band's already dramatically reduced set time. Frenzal Rhomb played music over Jackie O so she could not be heard on stage. In a subsequent phone conversation with Whalley, broadcast on the Kyle and Jackie O Show, Whalley alleged that Jackie O and Sandilands threatened Frenzal Rhomb's label to have Frenzal Rhomb's songs banned from Austereo radio stations.. As a result of the incident Sandilands' old friend and manager Ryan Wellington was removed as the producer of the Kyle and Jackie O Show by the Austereo network.
In July and August 2005, Sandilands was accused of "cooking the charts" by giving airplay to Ooh Aah (a song by his then girlfriend, now wife Tamara Jaber). The allegations were made on TV current affairs program Today Tonight. In 2006 Sandilands won a defamation suit, with the court ruling that Today Tonight had defamed the radio host.
On 4 August 2006, Sandilands used his radio program to call Fiona Connolly, a columnist from Sydney's Daily Telegraph, "fat" and a "liar". She was six months pregnant at the time. After calling her the "chick that I hate at Sydney Confidential" he also stated he "... would hire a private investigator to film her and her family then I'm going to put it on a website and I'm going to show everyone what members of her family do that are dodgy ..." He has since been banned by Austereo management from mentioning Connolly on air.
In March 2007, Sandilands made an on-air reference to a police officer who had issued him a speeding ticket, referring to the officer as an "arsehole" and to the Highway Patrol as "scum". This was reported on the ABC-TV media watchdog show Media Watch as 'Kyle Bile'.
On 2 July 2007, Sandilands and Jackie O were involved in a on-air clash with Australian music personality Molly Meldrum, who described Sandilands as "arrogant", "fat" and "talentless".
On 20 August 2007. Media Watch examined Sandilands' on-air comments asserting that smoking was not as harmful to people as many institutions would lead people to believe and that the statistics presented by these institutions are falsified. These comments led to the Cancer Institute of New South Wales pulling their "13-QUIT" advertisements off the network.
Media Watch further alleged that on 20 July 2009, Jackie O and Sandilands, on-air, 'cruelly' and 'sadistically' taunted a refugee from Pol Pot's Cambodia and meted out similar treatment to the woman's 19 year-old niece.
Enough Rope interview
On 22 August 2007 Sandilands was interviewed by Andrew Denton for ABC's Enough Rope. During the interview Sandilands said he wanted to "punch Dave Hughes in the throat" next time he saw him. This was in response to Hughes' reference to Sandilands as a "dickhead" on another program. A subsequent article in the Sydney Morning Herald cited unspecified reports which claimed that Sandilands was left in a "hostile state" by Denton's questions about Sandilands' need to take personal responsibility for the results of his actions on air.
On 29 July 2009, Sandilands and co-host Jackie Henderson were leading a segment on their regular 2Day FM morning show in which a 14 year old girl was strapped to a lie detector while the child's mother, Sandilands and Henderson questioned her about sex and drugs. Sandilands was participating in the radio show from New Zealand via hookup. Before questioning started Jackie Henderson had propositioned to the mother "What’s your worst fear? Is it the sex?".
The girl started by saying, "I'm scared. It's not fair". Sandilands said, "She is scared everyone. Yeah." The segment went astray when the girl revealed she had been raped at the age of 12. After a long pause, Sandilands then asked "Right ... is that the only experience you've had?".
The segment was widely criticised by health professionals, media commentators, the prime minister Kevin Rudd and the public. The controversy was reported internationally.
A group of 15 high-profile psychologists, academics and child advocates wrote to The Age calling for the show to be cancelled. They suggested the show had been the venue for child abuse and a gross violation of human rights.
The Kyle and Jackie O show continued broadcasting on the Thursday and Friday mornings after the offending segment had been broadcast.
On air in the days after the stunt Sandilands said:
"We’re very sad for the girl and very disappointed and apologetic to anyone who took offence to it."
On 3 August 2009 Network Ten issued a press statement announcing that Sandilands had been sacked from Australian Idol, citing the network's view that the Kyle and Jackie O Show's content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of Idol. It is understood that guest judges will replace him for the rest of the season. It was also announced that the Kyle and Jackie O Show on 2Day FM and The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power are in recess until a review is completed
A Network Ten spokeman said of Sandilands' firing:
"Idol has remained a family-focused show, even more so this year with the 6.30pm Sunday timeslot. His radio persona has taken on a more controversial position ... which is not in the interest of the show."
Responding to his firing from Australian Idol, Sandilands said in a statement, "I'm disappointed at Channel 10's decision to remove me from 'Australian Idol'. I have truly loved being a part of the show." Network Ten had held crisis talks with advertisers in the days prior to his firing amid concerns Sandilands would damage their brands. Idol creator Simon Fuller reportedly gave Ten his blessing to fire Sandilands. It was believed Sandilands earns $1 million of his estimated annual $2.8 million income from Idol.
The suspension of the radio show had been announced on Sunday 2 August 2009. The show's usual 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. slot on 3 August was filled by Chris Page who announced that "They have not been suspended ... the show has not finished." Page then re-read Austereo general manager Jenny Parkes' statement on air just after 6.30am.
"Kyle Sandilands's management has advised Austereo that he is unable to perform his duties on-air at this time. Further, following a great deal of consideration and having consulted Jackie O and all stakeholders, Austereo has formed the view that it is in the interest of all parties for the »programme to go into recess until we have completed an across-the-networks review of the principals »sic and protocols of our interaction with our audience."
As a result of the lie detector segment and the ensuing backlash, advertisers American Express, Optus, Qantas and Channel 10 pulled their advertising from the 2Day FM morning show the week after. »Millions lost as advertisers cut ties to Austereo over Kyle Sandilands - The Herald-Sun, 5 August 2009
Sandilands hired plain-clothed security guards to protect his home after the media began to gather outside his residence in St Ives, on Sydney's north shore.»Kyle Sandilands hires security guards to protect home - The Daily Telegraph, 5 August 2009
On 13 August 2009, Austereo chairman Peter Harvie and chief executive Michael Anderson said Jackie O and Sandilands will be back on air on 18 August 2009.
On 9 September 2009, Sandilands was suspended after on-air comments suggesting Australian TV host and comedian Magda Szubanski would lose more weight in a concentration camp. “You put her in a concentration camp and you watch the weight fall off … like she could be skinny”. Sandilands and his fellow host Jackie "O" Henderson were debating who should be the next face of weight-loss company Jenny Craig. Szubanski had recently lost 25kg using the Jenny Craig program during a well-documented public weight battle.
In a statement Szubanski, whose father was a Polish resistance fighter during World War II, told ninemsn news “I couldn’t give two hoots about what Kyle says about me, but to trivialise what happened to people in concentration camps is abhorrent.” Jewish groups have also criticised Sandilands and once again called for his sacking.
On various occasions, including the Enough Rope interview, Sandilands has spoken to the media of his difficult childhood. Growing up in the suburb of Wynnum in Brisbane, he was deeply affected by his parents divorce, which happened when he was 10. At 15 his mother and stepfather threw him out of their house after he held a party and damaged their car while they were absent. He never went back, moving between friends' houses and living on the streets. At 17 his father sent him to live in Townsville with his aunt, Jill Stevens. Interviewed in 2005, Stevens recalled for the Sydney Morning Herald that the young Sandilands,
:"... used to listen to that Tammy Wynette song D-I-V-O-R-C-E and just cry and cry. He's never gotten over his parents' divorce ... When he was living on the streets, he used to sit outside his father's house at night and watch the lights go out".
Sandilands married pop singer Tamara Jaber on 26 September 2008. He lives in St Ives, on Sydney's Upper North Shore.
- »The Kyle and Jackie O Show
- »The Hot Hits With Kyle and Jackie O
- »Article reporting June 2005 radio survey