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Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host, shock jock and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney's radio station KIIS 106.5.
Sandilands has become known for controversial on-air stunts and offensive comments. This has led to companies removing their advertisements, findings of serious breaches of the Industry Codes of Practice and Guidelines, and to his firing from Australian Idol.
From 2005 to 2009, and again since 2023, Sandilands has served as a judge on Australian Idol. In 2008, he became the host of Big Brother, alongside Jackie O. In 2010, he became a judge on Australia's Got Talent and also on Australia's version of The X Factor.
Much media coverage of Sandilands has focused on the negative aspects of his personality and behaviour, notably his widely publicised clashes with and criticism of other media figures, his intemperate on-air outbursts and his alleged "out-of-control" ego. 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. Sandilands and Jackie O were again named "Best On-Air Team" at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards in 2007, 2011, and 2015.
In August 2009, The Kyle and Jackie O Show 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. 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. In the same year, he was again named the most hated by Zoo Weekly. Sandilands and Henderson were the hosts of the nationally syndicated chart show The Hot Hits, before swapping host roles with Andrew Günsberg in December 2009, who had previously hosted Take40 Australia, but left the show at the end of 2011.
In November 2023, it was revealed that Sandilands and Jackie O had signed a 10-year, A$200 million deal, a record for the Australian market; in other words, Kyle and Jackie O would each get a base salary of $10 million, plus bonus total stock options valued at $14 million. The pair also negotiated a clause that allows them to broadcast from anywhere on earth; additionally, the show will be syndicated in the Melbourne market, leading to the cancellation of the Lauren & Jase show by the end of 2023.
In September 2022, Sandilands was announced as a returning judge for the Seven Network's revival of the series for 2023. He rejoined the show as the only judge from the previous iteration of the show, judging alongside former American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr. as well as singers Meghan Trainor and Amy Shark. In late 2023, it was announced that the show had been picked up for a ninth season, set to air in January 2024. It was also announced that Sandilands would be returning as a judge alongside Amy Shark, however, Meghan Trainor and Harry Connick Jr. would not be returning. In October 2023, Seven officially announced that original Australian idol judge Marcia Hines would be returning as a judge in 2024 alongside Sandilands and Shark, with the show going back to its original 3 judge format.
On 14 July 2007, two weeks before the season finale, Sandilands appeared on the 2007 Australian 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 that 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, Sandilands and Henderson became the hosts of the 2008 season of Big Brother 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 July and August 2005, Sandilands was accused of "cooking the charts" by giving airplay to "Ooh Ahh" (a song by his then-girlfriend, 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 2 July 2007, Sandilands and Jackie O were involved in an 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.
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 Shows content was incompatible with the family-oriented image of Idol. Guest judges replaced 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 would be in recess until a review was completed. A Network Ten spokesman 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, 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 earned A$1 million of his estimated annual A$2.8 million income from Idol. The suspension of the radio show was announced on Sunday 2 August 2009. The show's usual 6:00 am to 9:00 am slot on 3 August was filled by Chris Page who announced that "They have not been suspended ... the show has not finished." Page then reread Austereo general manager Jenny Parkes' statement on air just after 6:30 am:
Kyle Sandilands' 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 program 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.
"For some reason, people think I don't like women that are overweight," he said. "If they're fat, then I say to them they should lose weight."The 51-year-old has also made other comments about other celebrities and journalists, often using it as an insult when somebody has made a negative comment towards him. Most prominently in 2012, he called a News Limited journalist a "fat, bitter thing" and a "fat slag" after she gave his show a Night with the Stars a negative review.
"What a fat bitter thing you are, you deputy editor of an online thing. You've got a nothing job anyway," Kyle said on air. "You're a piece of sh*t. You little troll... You should be fired from your job,"According to the Sydney Morning Herald, he also claimed that he would "hunt her down" for her review.
"Kyle is starting all this tone but for to go along with the tone because you have nothing more, sorry, nothing funny to say but like slut shame and say, I have no doubt you're going on a date with her ... Kyle, you have no idea about my sexual habits unless you listen to my podcast." She added, "It's high school weird sh*t and it's also like, encouraging women to pit themselves against each other." She continued "Give me sh*t, but don't make it at the expense of other people listening and other women listening. Do not perpetuate slut-shaming bullsh*t on the biggest radio show in the country."Chatfield noted that the KIISFM hosts must have an issue with her because she's "able to speak about sexuality in a way that isn't shameful."
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.On 26 September 2008, Sandilands married pop singer Tamara Jaber and the couple shared a house in St Ives, located in Sydney's Upper North Shore. However, on 12 July 2010 it was reported the couple had split.
Since March 2012, it was reported that Sandilands was in a relationship with much-younger woman Imogen Anthony." Kyle Sandilands' poker face" , The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013. They split up in 2019.
On 13 August 2015, Sandilands took his shirt off during a live broadcast of The Morning Show, after claiming he has been "fat-shamed" by the media, and afterwards admitted "I think I'm going to have to do something about the weight. I've got the high blood pressure, the sleep apnoea, I'm a mess." He also confirmed he was to have a hernia operation in December 2015.
In February 2022, Sandilands and his partner Tegan announced they were expecting a baby,Kyle announced in February during The Kyle and Jackie O Showhe and his fiancee were expecting a baby. and had the gender reveal for Otto during a cruise on Sydney Harbour as two planes streaked coloured smoke overhead. Before their son's birth, Sandilands announced that they were naming his radio partner Jackie O as Otto's godmother, surprising her in their studio off-air. On 11 August 2022 Kyle Sandilands became a father for the first time, when his fiancée Tegan Kynaston gave birth to their son Otto.
Sandilands married Kynaston in April 2023 at Swifts, Darling Point in Sydney, which controversially included high profile political figures such as the current Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the current New South Wales Premier Chris Minns. Notably, the groomsmen consisted of former nightclub owner John Ibrahim and convicted drug dealer Simon Main.
In February 2025, Sandilands revealed that he had a brain aneurysm and that he would require Brain surgery live on his radio program.
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