‘Anything but’: Dr Chris Brown hits back at claims he’s ‘too vanilla’ for breakfast radio

Exclusive: Dr Chris Brown, Amy Gerard and Jack Charles are about to host the most anticipated breakfast show in Aussie radio history – and they’re eerily calm about it.

In fact, when former king of the slot Kyle Sandilands took a swipe at Brown being “a bit too vanilla” for breakfast radio, the TV vet barely blinked.

“That’s just Kyle being Kyle,” Brown told nine.com.au with a laugh. “We embrace that. If anyone wants to come in thinking I’m vanilla, that’s a great place to play. I enjoy that expectation, and I feel so confident it’s going to be anything but.”

Co-hosts Gerard and Charles were quick to back him up, teasing there’s an unexpected side to the TV vet that will “surprise” listeners.

“There are a lot of people who will be surprised about the stories they’ll hear about doctor Chris Brown,” Charles said with a grin.

“A lot of people are making a lot of assumptions about what they’re going to get from this show, and I think they’re going to be surprised,” Gerard chipped in.

Brown added that the trio “appreciate the free publicity.”

“There’s been so much interest in this show, probably in large part, because of what [Kyle has] been saying, so that’s great. It’s actually really good for us.”

Overlooking Sydney Harbour from their new KIIS FM studio, the trio appeared quietly confident ahead of their high-stakes Monday morning debut.

“We’re just ready to get on air now,” they agreed, brushing aside the noise that comes with replacing the juggernaut that was The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

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The radio show infamously fell out on-air in February when Sandilands and Henderson argued over an astrology segment.

Henderson refused to return to work the following week, despite on-air claims that she was taking a brief break.

An crisis ensued when Henderson declared she could no longer work alongside Sandilands, resulting in the termination of her contract.

ARN suspended Sandilands for serious misconduct, pulled the broadcast off the air, and ultimately dismissed him from the network.

Both co-hosts sued ARN; Sandilands resolved his claim through an out-of-court settlement, while Henderson’s lawsuit remains ongoing.

During our 20-minute chat, the trio were quick to shut down any assumption that they were “the new Kyle and Jackie O”

“Are people really saying that?” Brown asked, before Gerard joke “Is it because I’m blonde?”

“Their a duo we’re a trio,” Jack added. “That automatically throws in a different vibe.”

“It’s the same network and same timeslot, I think that’s where the similarities begin and end,” Brown said. “We love that this is really new, fresh, it’s a different show.”

The trio will take to the airways at 6am on Monday, November 9 after months of anticipation.

Despite the excitement around the launch, Gerard confessed she “absolutely” hesitated to take the gig following the public fallout of the Kyle & Jackie O Show, but she ultimately went through with it.

“I think the most exciting part for me is this show is a brand new show. We’re not trying to fill the shoes with those who came before us, we’re wiping the slate clean,” she said.

Brown added that he was excited to take on the gig despite the media storm surrounding it because “there’s nothing like a challenge.”

“We’re really embracing that, if people want to call it pressure or expectation... we’re also really respectful of what came before us, they knocked it out of the park for so many years, but we’re going to be a different show,” Brown said.

Meanwhile, Charles confessed he didn’t hesitate at all to take the gig.

Brown, Gerard and Charles said fans can expect them to be “scarily themselves” come Monday morning.

“There aren’t many limits, that may change but nothing is really off limits,” all three agreed.

“Knowing where the line is, tip-toeing having a look over it is where the fun is,” Brown added.

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