Bittersweet moment ‘Intern Pete’ celebrates birthday without Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson

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Pete Deppeler experienced a mix of happy and sad feelings on Friday, as his birthday coincided with the end of The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

ARN confirmed today that Henderson’s $100 million contract is over, after she informed management she could no longer work with Kyle Sandilands. This decision followed Sandilands’ on-air remarks that upset her significantly.

For over ten years, Pete Deppeler, 41, who many KIIS FM listeners know as ‘Intern Pete,’ has been a valuable member of the station’s team, working as a producer, reporter, and fill-in host.

The radio personality was cheerful, even though there was growing tension between Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Kyle Sandilands, and neither of them showed up to the event.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the KIIS FM team came together to celebrate Deppeler’s birthday and gave him a cake.

The radio personality, along with his sister Kate Meade, a former reporter for ABC Melbourne, was clearly delighted by the kind act.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I just saw the cutest video! Someone from KIIS FM brought Pete this amazing birthday cake, and everyone was singing to him! It was so sweet, I seriously can’t even. He looked a little surprised, but mostly just… perfect. I wish I was there to sing too!

He was lost for words when the assembled revellers called for Pete to deliver a speech.

‘Thank you, everyone,’ he humbly replied.     

Following the announcement that The Kyle & Jackie O Show had ended on Tuesday, Pete shared a playful video remembering his time working on the program.

Pete posted a funny video on Instagram Wednesday of himself farting loudly in an elevator at KIIS FM.

‘Filmed myself farting every day for a few months,’ he wrote next to the footage.

Lots of Deppeler’s famous friends commented on his post, complimenting his unique way of saying goodbye to his show.

KIIS FM host Laura Byrne expressed her delight with the content, noting it came right after ARN made its largest announcement ever.

‘This is the good news story we all need,’ added Amy Gerard, another KIIS FM employee.

His strange behavior follows news that shocked the team at The Kyle & Jackie O Show: the show, along with others across Australia, is being cancelled.

ARN, the company that owns KIIS FM, publicly announced on Tuesday evening that Henderson’s contract, worth $100 million, had been cancelled. The announcement was made through the ASX, Australia’s stock market operator.

Sandilands has been temporarily removed from his position and has two weeks to fix the issue that led to his suspension, or he will be fired. Henderson, on the other hand, has been offered a different show on the network.

According to The Australian, Kyle Sandilands is ready to take legal action against ARN if they end his $100 million contract after the cancellation of his KIIS FM show, The Kyle & Jackie O Show. He has reportedly hired lawyers to prepare for a potential lawsuit.

Sandilands, 54, is apparently trying to get paid for the rest of his contract, which still has eight years left and is worth $88 million.

He was reportedly shocked by the accusation of wrongdoing, especially since he was allowed to speak freely on air. The show employed two dedicated censors to prevent any issues, so he didn’t expect this to happen.

According to reports, the radio personality claims ARN doesn’t have a valid reason to end his contract. He says the network previously agreed to take full responsibility for anything he said on the air.

Henderson, age 51, hadn’t been on The Kyle & Jackie O show since February 20th. This followed accusations from Sandilands that she wasn’t concentrating enough at work.

While arguing on live television, Henderson became emotional and started crying when the conversation turned to Prince Andrew.

Sandilands got angry at her when she proceeded to read out the disgraced royal’s birth chart.

He lambasted his co-star, claiming that her love for astrology was affecting her work.

When Henderson tried to protect herself and told him he was attacking her, he claimed he was simply stating what he believed to be true.

I was really shocked to hear that Henderson left the show! Apparently, Kyle and Jackie O weren’t expecting it either – they said he completely blindsided them. It’s just been a bit of a surprise for everyone, honestly.

Private text messages show that Kyle tried to apologize to his radio colleague, but his attempt was rejected.

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2026-03-06 05:51