Industry insider weighs in on Kyle Sandilands’ absence on Australian Idol following shock radio suspension

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People have noticed Kyle Sandilands hasn’t been on Australian Idol lately, and there’s some worry about whether he’ll come back to the show on Channel Seven.

He hasn’t been seen since his recent argument with Jackie ‘O’ Henderson on the KIIS FM show, The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

The 54-year-old radio personality hasn’t appeared on the last five episodes of the audition show, and there’s no clear reason why. During his absence, singer Jessica Mauboy, who was a finalist in 2006, filled in as a judge.

Okay, so everyone’s saying the episodes where Kyle wasn’t there were filmed late on February 20th – just hours after everything went down with Jackie! You wouldn’t BELIEVE the fight they had on air, it was insane! And apparently, it was so bad, Jackie actually quit right then and there. I’ve rewatched the footage a million times, and honestly, it’s heartbreaking… but also, a little bit thrilling? I just need to know everything about what happened that night!

David Knox, a media commentator for TV Tonight, called the lack of clarity surrounding Kyle’s absence ‘disappointing’.

He expressed disappointment that the show hasn’t explained why Kyle has been missing from the screen.

This situation highlights how judges often expect performers to continue even when sick, echoing the familiar saying ‘the show must go on.’ However, it appears this standard doesn’t apply to Kyle.

Some people are speculating that Jessica Mauboy’s guest judging appearance is a test to see if she’d be a good fit as a full-time judge on the show.

Daily Mail has approached Channel Seven for comment.

ARN confirmed today that Jackie’s $100 million contract has been cancelled. This decision came after she informed management she could no longer work with Kyle Sandilands, following his on-air remarks that upset her greatly.

Kyle has been suspended and given 14 days to ‘remedy’ the breach, or else faces termination.

In 2023, the pair agreed to a 10-year contract with Australian Radio Network (ARN), with eight years remaining on the agreement.

In that historic deal, they reportedly received $200 million and earned around $47,000 for each episode.

Jackie, age 51, hasn’t been on The Kyle & Jackie O Show since February 20th. This followed an accusation from Kyle that she wasn’t concentrating enough at work.

While they were arguing on live television, she began to cry when the conversation turned to Prince Andrew.

Kyle 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.

After the disagreement, she took some time off work and was scheduled to come back to the show on March 2nd.

However, that was not to be.

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2026-03-05 02:37