‘When you got fat’: Insider reveals moment that Kyle and Jackie O’s relationship never recovered from

A trusted source has exposed the pivotal moment that exposed when Kyle and Jackie’s relationship started to fall apart for good.

Jackie O quitting The Kyle and Jackie O Show and announcing that she “cannot continue to work” with Kyle Sandilands has shocked the industry. But according to close insiders, the writing has been on the wall for years.

News that Jackie would not be returning to their hit KIIS show sensationally broke last night, after she refused to return to work after an on-air spat with Kyle on February 20th.

The show’s cancellation and the duo’s dramatic split lit up group chats all over Australia, but a source told news.com.au that Kyle and Jackie O’s personal relationship has long been in tatters, and pinpointed the moment things began to irreparably fracture during another on-air segment in 2024.

It came after Jackie secretly checked herself into the Betty Ford clinic in California, and then later came clean about her struggle with prescription pills and alcohol in her memoir The Whole Truth.

Opening up about these vulnerable, personal matters marked a shift in Jackie’s public persona – while she’s been an extremely famous public figure for decades the radio star is known to be very private – and also led to a pivotal moment in her relationship with Kyle during an on-air conversation between the co-hosts.

The trusted source said when Jackie started to speak about her addiction on the show, she was left feeling that Kyle mishandled the segment and failed to respond “better as a friend” than he did, sparking a rift Jackie couldn’t come back from.

‘Wake-up call’: Moment everything changed

“The dynamic between them started to change after Jackie came back from her rehab stint; it didn’t change straight away, because she was still keeping the rehab thing a secret, and Kyle was loving the ‘new Jackie’,” the source explained.

“Things changed around 2024 when she finally spoke out about being in rehab, and she read an excerpt from her book on-air, and she was getting super emotional, and he couldn’t handle the heaviness.”

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have been on-air together for over 20 years. Picture: TikTok/TheKyleandJackieOShow

She opened up about her addiction on the show, and he mentioned her weight. Picture: TikTok/TheKyleandJackieOShow
MORE:Jackie secured $30m exit plan before quitting

As Jackie emotionally recounted the darkest time in her life to date, Kyle made cracks about her weight.

“He kept trying to lighten the mood by saying things like ‘When you got fat, I probably stop paying attention. That makes me feel bad,’” the source explained.

“It is his way of being remorseful, but it speaks to the toxic way he had gotten away with treating her for so long.”

On air, as Jackie tearfully recounted the lowest moments of her life, Kyle expressed his shock that she hid her addiction from him.

“I knew you ballooned up, and when you got fat, I probably stopped paying attention,” he joked.

Jackie O was in tears as she talked about her addiction. Picture: TikTok/TheKyleandJackieOShow

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O are in the radio Hall of Fame Together. Picture: Supplied
MORE:Kyle, Jackie next moves exposed as show axed

After that segment, Jackie continued on a self-improvement journey, became more spiritual, and appeared to find Kyle a lot less funny.

“She had a bit of a wakeup call to how he treats her. She used to be the first to laugh whenever he dissed her, but somewhere along the line in recent years she stopped finding it funny,” the source said.

In the years since, it became clear to those around them that Kyle felt the distance growing between them, and he’d often make cracks that she “trusted” him less now. Even when discussing the fact Jackie had hid her rehab stint from, he kept saying he was “shocked” he was unaware.

While it seemed obvious to those close to the pair they were growing apart, Jackie would deny there was a rift when asked.

“Any time he’s raised with her any feelings about a fracture between them, she flat out denies it, which doesn’t really help,” the source said.

“He probably doesn’t feel very seen or heard, which might explain why he was so blunt in that final blow-up, which I don’t condone at all. He was way too harsh.

“It is very complicated.”

The source described the breakdown of their relationship as complicated. Picture: 60 Minutes/Channel 9
Taking bets on ‘how long… before she walked’

Another close source said they’re less in shock that the show has ended, because of the pair have clearly “drifted” apart in recent years, and in some ways it was a long-time coming.

“I am more shocked that Jackie has actually done it. Everyone inside took bets on how long it would last before she walked,” the source explained.

“They drifted, and he pushed her out. Not sure if this will save the radio industry or completely end it.”

Kyle and Jackie have been mates on and off air, and now their show has ended. Picture: KIIS
During their on-air fight last month, which reduced Jackie to tears, Kyle claimed that her interest in star signs and astrology was impacting her ability to do her job.

“Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” he said.

Jackie argued that he wasn’t being “fair,” but the shock jock doubled down, calling her “off with the fairies”.

She said she was “totally offended” by his comments and argued that she would never critique him like that.

“You’ve had your head looking into the stars; it is too much, and it is affecting everything else. Every segment and every time you’ve spoken, you don’t know what is going on,” he said.

Kyle went on to claim that “everyone else in the building” had spoken about it with him, including management, and said, “What is going on with Jackie?”

Jackie has not been on air with Kyle since those comments, more than 20 years of broadcasting together.

Back in 2023, the pair inked a 10-year deal with ARN that was meant to see them remain on air together until the end of 2034.

The deal was worth an incredible $200 million, with each host to receive $10 million per year.

The contract is now over.
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