The fallout from The Kyle and Jackie O Show’s abrupt end is still rippling through Aussie radio, but Kyle Sandilands is making it clear he’s not leaving everyone behind.
Following a round of redundancies at ARN, Sandilands has stepped in to employ several former staffers at his own venture, King Kyle, after content assistant Alfie Laguzza, audio producer Dean Royston (aka “Hulk”) and producer Eliza Brown were let go.
Brown wrote on her Instagram, “This show meant so much to so many people. Working alongside Kyle & Jackie is and will go onto be, one of greatest privileges of my working life.”
Speaking to news.com.au, Sandilands said some of the team have already landed on their feet — just not where you might expect.
“They’ve all just moved to my office down the road and seem happier,” he said.
While not every former staffer has joined him (Brown is reportedly not currently involved), both Royston and Laguzza are understood to now be working with Sandilands. Laguzza, who had already been linked to King Kyle, is expected to take on additional hours.
Sandilands framed the move as loyalty rather than opportunism, adding: “I take care of my people, and I’ve got their backs.”
He also took a swipe at the broader situation, saying: “What people don’t seem to get is if you pull a thread and just keep tugging it, the entire structure collapses and you’re left with a pile of thread and not much else.”
ARN, for its part, confirmed the redundancies but said most of the team had been retained where possible.
“ARN has been able to redeploy the majority of team members from The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Unfortunately, a small number of roles could not be accommodated elsewhere in the business, and those individuals will be leaving ARN,” a spokesperson said, per MediaWeek.
The publication also confirmed that show’s censor Missy Balfour was also made redundant, bringing the total number of redundancies to four in 24 hours.
ARN stepped in to reassess the show’s place on its network when co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson took over a week off from the Kyle & Jackie O Show after a dispute in February, when Sandilands criticised her live on-air over her “fixation” on astrology.
“You’re off with the fairies, you are unfocused, you don’t give a shit … everyone in this building has mentioned it to me,” he said to her.
The network has continued to rework its breakfast slot following the show’s exit, with a rotating lineup of guest hosts currently filling the gap. Behind the scenes, bigger changes are still unfolding, including ongoing legal action between ARN and both Sandilands and Henderson.
Meanwhile, other familiar names are also moving on. Long-time producer Peter Deppeler (better known as “Intern Pete”) recently announced he’s heading to The Christian O’Connell Show on Gold FM after more than a decade with Kyle and Jackie O.
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