It’s official: The Kyle & Jackie O Show is the radio program Australians love to hate. Or maybe just love to complain about. According to data shared with The Guardian, nearly half of all complaints about radio decency in the 2023-2024 financial year were directed at the show hosted by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson.
Out of a total of 321 complaints about “material not suitable for broadcast,” a staggering 146 (45 per cent) were about Kyle and Jackie O.
Kyle and Jackie O aren’t exactly apologising for their unfiltered antics. In fact, Sandilands recently boasted that the show meets Australian legal broadcast standards despite the outcry. “Contrary to popular belief, everything on this show is Australian legal broadcast standard-worthy,” he said on air while poking fun at critics and calling them “wackos.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is certainly not a fan of their more “colourful” broadcasts, particularly taking issue with what she calls “sexist, racist, [and] misogynistic” content. At a Senate estimates hearing, she took aim at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for not cracking down on what she deems “revolting” material. According to Hanson-Young, this type of content has “no place on commercial radio or in our homes, workplaces or communities.”
And, while the complaints are flying in, the show’s ratings have take a huge hit in Melbourne. Since its launch in April 2024, The Kyle & Jackie O Show has lost a jaw-dropping 130,000 listeners and dropped to eighth place in the breakfast slot.
In a bid to salvage their reputation, Kyle and Jackie O have taken to cheeky billboards around Melbourne with the tagline, “Listen Now. We’re Behaving”—complete with a winking emoji.
Despite these hiccups, The Kyle & Jackie O Show remains top-rated in Sydney, where it continues to dominate the breakfast radio scene. Yet, with complaints mounting and Melbourne giving them the cold shoulder, one has to wonder whether 2025 might see the show turn a new leaf—or simply retire from its controversial airwaves.
Listeners who want to complain about material on the show must first complain to the station. If complainants are not satisfied with the response, they can then file a complaint with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which can investigate and even sanction a show.
ACMA currently has three open investigations into the show, one of which was launched in November 2024 following the Senate estimates hearing.
For now, it seems Kyle and Jackie O are still laughing all the way to the bank—even if a lot of Australians are just laughing at them.
