ARN rules out frontrunner tipped to replace Kyle Sandilands after weeks of speculation

Kris Fade will not be taking over the coveted breakfast slot on KIIS FM despite weeks of rumours, as he claims he rejected the offer to remain in the UAE.

The Dubai-based radio star, who also featured in Netflix’s reality show Dubai Bling, emerged as a frontrunner to replace Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson after their $200 million contracts were spectacularly torn up.

But on Monday afternoon, ARN confirmed he wouldn’t be filling the slot just hours before he made his own statement live on-air.

“We’re constantly having discussions with talented people that are reaching out with interest to be a part of ARN, but Kris won’t be a part of KIIS plans for 2027,” a spokesperson for the radio network told nine.com.au.

Fade, an Australian national who hosts The Kris Fade Show in Dubai, later took to Instagram to confirm the news himself.

He claimed he was offered his “dream job” in Australia but had decided to remain in the Middle East and re-sign his contract with Virgin Radio.

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“A few weeks ago, life threw me a curveball,” he wrote.

“A month ago I was offered my dream job back home in Sydney. For anyone who has ever chased a dream, you’ll understand how significant that was for me.

“My entire family are in Sydney. My roots are there, my childhood is there, my ageing mum and dad, so for the past few weeks I’ve spent countless hours thinking, talking, negotiating, praying and trying to work out what the right decision was.

“After all that, I’ve made my choice.”

That choice, he concluded, was Dubai.

“While Sydney will always be home and Australia will always be part of who I am, my heart told me that my story here isn’t finished. Not yet,” he explained.

“Thank you for allowing a Lebanese Australian kid to come here with a dream and build a life beyond anything he could have imagined. After 19 years, I’m still here and if you’ll have me, I’m not done yet. Let’s keep going.”

Fade had been at the centre of rumours for months. Rather than shutting down the intense speculation surrounding the vacant KIIS FM role, he has spent months masterfully dodging the question.

On Monday morning, he sent the rumour mill into overdrive in a cryptic statement to his one million Instagram followers.

“Over the past month I’ve been receiving many calls and e-mails about one thing. Am I leaving Dubai and heading back home to Australia, for good?” it read.

He then dramatically followed it up with: “Decisions must be made tomorrow morning 7.30am Dubai. I’ll let you in on my answer and why.”

Lebanese-Australian host Fade moved from Sydney to Dubai in 2008, landing a job on Virgin Radio and taking the UAE by storm with his breakfast show, The Kris Fade Show.

Like The Kyle and Jackie O Show once was in Australia, the show is currently the biggest and most listened to radio breakfast show in the UAE.

Fade also featured in Netflix’s reality show Dubai Bling alongside his wife Brianna Ramirez (now Brianna Fade).

The media personality is so famous in the Middle East that Madame Tussauds Dubai honoured him with a wax figure.

With Fade out of the picture, it’s still unknown who could take over the Aussie breakfast slot with guest hosts stepping in to take the microphone.

ARN pulled the $200 million deal it had with Henderson and Sandilands following a now-infamous on-air blow-up on February 20.

Both decided to sue their employer for wrongful termination.

Sandilands had been seeking $85m, alleging he was wrongfully terminated from his $100 million contract but he settled earlier this week.

In a statement to the market on Wednesday morning, ARN said it had agreed to pay Sandilands a settlement sum of $12.09 million, with $3 million of the package payable in July 2026 and the balance payable monthly until June 2029.

ARN will also take a 19.9 per cent revenue cut of whatever the shock jock does next.

Henderson also launched a lawsuit against her former employer claiming compensation of at least $82.25 million and alleging that her termination was against the Fair Work Act.

It was revealed earlier this week that she will still go ahead with the lawsuit, despite her former co-host settling.