Kyle Sandilands weighs in on new KIIS hosts after months of rumours: ‘A bit vanilla’

Kyle Sandilands has delivered his verdict on the new KIIS breakfast hosts taking over the slot once dominated by him and former co-host Jackie O Henderson. 

Dr Chris Brown, Amy Gerard and Jack Charles were finally confirmed as the hosts on Monday after months of speculation and the shock jock didn’t hold back on his Kyle Sandilands Live show. 

Surprisingly, Sandilands had no idea the announcement had been made.

“Are you feeling a bit smug today, Kyle, cause you – well I feel like you guessed – got it right for the KIIS lineup,” asked newsreader Mary Madigan. 

Sandilands admitted he hadn’t paid any attention to it, so actually had no idea who the hosts were as his show kicked off on Tuesday morning. 

“You were right, Dr Chris Brown,” she said. 

Read more

The $200m gamble facing KIIS as new hosts step into Kyle and Jackie O’s shoes

“I was always right,” Sandilands quipped. 

While he didn’t agree with the colour choice for the new show branding, he did have a message of support for the new trio. 

“Good luck to them, I hope they do their very best because it’s not an easy gig…” he said. 

Then things turned to the hosts. 

“I don't know Chris well, but I've met him,” Sandilands said. 

“He's a bit vanilla, but you know, that's alright.” 

“Amy, I think she's a fun girl, I think she does a great job, and I don't know the other chap, but I'm sure if he's been on with Chrissy Swan for a while, he'll know, he'll know what's what.” 

Madigan read out a statement from ARN about the new hosting trio and their vision for the show, which Sandilands wasn’t sold on. 

“Oh, that to me equals boring as batshit radio,” he replied.

Sandilands was one of the first to reveal that the celebrity vet had been approached for the breakfast radio gig, although ARN denied it.

As the speculation ramped up, a statement was released by the network that said they had not signed Brown – a detail that Sandilands went hard on during the Tuesday morning live show.

Dr Chris had also firmly denied he was lined up for the job at the Logie Awards in August despite being congratulated on the red carpet by plenty of media for the new role.

The confirmation that he was taking the reins of the breakfast show alongside Gerard – who has been a regular in the slot for months – and Charles, has ended months of speculation.

The trio will be joined by experienced broadcaster and producer Natalie Penfold as the show’s newsreader. 

KIIS lost Sandilands and Henderson, the network’s best performing and highest-paid duo, earlier this year after a heated on-air argument.

It kicked off when Sandilands criticised Henderson for discussing birth charts and astrological signs, which she described as a “mean and nasty” attack.

Henderson took time off after the exchange in February, then told the network she couldn’t continue to work with Sandilands.

He was suspended over “serious misconduct” and given 14 days to remedy the breach, during which time The Kyle and Jackie O Show was taken off-air.

It never returned to the airwaves, as Sandilands’ contract with ARN was torn up in March.

He filed a $100 million lawsuit against his former employer. ARN then reached a $12 million settlement with Sandilands in June.

Sandilands went on to launch his own subscription-based show, Kyle Sandilands Live, in August.

Henderson, who said she “did not quit or resign” from the network, filed her own $82.25 million suit against ARN. Her contract claim will head to court in October.