Kyle and Jackie O blasted over racy banter in kid-friendly timeslot
The media watchdog has been accused of having “no teeth” over controversial radio stars Kyle and Jackie O, with vulgar expletive-filled commentary broadcast in a prime family-friendly timeslot.
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The media watchdog has been accused of having “no teeth” over controversial radio stars Kyle and Jackie O, with vulgar expletive-filled commentary detailing sexual escapades broadcast in a prime family-friendly timeslot.
The Courier-Mail has spent weeks monitoring Kyle and Jackie O’s Hour of Power, which is syndicated nationally at 6pm on week nights, including on Brisbane’s KIIS 97.3FM.
No topic seems off limits for hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, who also co-host The Kyle and Jackie O breakfast radio show each morning in Sydney and Melbourne.
At 6.06pm on Tuesday, November 19, Sandilands told listeners he finds people with degrees “boring” but said he’d “still had sex with doctors, females, scientists.”
A short time later at 6.26pm, Sandilands tells Henderson she “could be a high-class escort with those toes”, as they discuss pedicures.
On Monday, December 2, the duo discuss a relationship between a 35-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man who met on a Contiki-type tour, using colourful language like “c**sucker”, “dirty little f-boi”.
In the show on Wednesday, December 4, Henderson asked a man who called in to the program “what did you do that’s so special, what was the last amazing thing you did for your wife?”. Mr Sandilands jumped in and said: “Jackie is talking about more ass f**king stuff”, with the expletive censored on air.
When referring to that same man later in the program, Sandilands said “and f**ked in the ass last week”.
Sandilands also asked a woman who called into the show “Are you fat? What do you weigh?”
On Thursday, December 5, Sandilands and Henderson spoke with former rugby player-turned producer Cooper Johns and asked him to go into his father Matty Johns’ bathroom while he showered as part of a bizarre segment titled “In the Shower with Cooper”.
Sandilands also asked Cooper: “How did you know your father wasn’t in the middle of self pleasuring”, before saying “I am known to j**k off in the shower”.
Later in the same show in a segment where radio staff were asked if they would take a demerit point for Mr Sandilands, he described Melbourne-based producer Lachy Mansell as “a f**king piece of shit” for refusing to take the demerit point.
The Kyle and Jackie O Show have been contacted for comment but has not responded to The Courier-Mail’s questions about the show.
University of Southern Queensland senior lecturer in television and radio broadcast Dr Ashley Jones said it “beggars belief how these sorts of programs can go to air”.
“These sort of shows in that sort of shock jock genre, people listen to it because they find it amusing, interesting, and challenging, but typically it’ has audience that will go with this kind of language,” Dr Jones said.
“I find it just beggars belief how these sort of programs can go to air.”
He said just like on television, radio divides its programs into “day and night” segments, with more risque content reserved for night-time viewing and listening.
“I cannot understand how this type of content is allowed on air during the times it is scheduled. From my understanding it is in breach of the Act,” he said.
“In my view, as a society we have lost our way and those rules and guidelines that have been part of our Broadcast Act are there for a very good reason.
“These things need to be upheld and instead of ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authorit) taking the easy way out by just ignoring it or giving them a little slap on the wrist, this is the sort of stuff where they need to come back out and deal with these, these challenges.
“From the best that I can recall, the last time I saw ACMA have any teeth would have been around the 80s.”
Dr Jones urged ACMA “to do a scan of the week’s content and see where that lines up with the Broadcasting Act”.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young recently grilled ACMA at a Senate Estimates hearing on why they weren’t doing more to police the Kyle and Jackie O show.
“We’ve heard derogatory remarks about the queer community, about Asian Australians, violent language about women, and vulgar details about sex acts broadcast on free to air radio,” Ms Hanson-Young said.
“Kids shouldn’t be exposed to it and it’s time for the regulator to be clear about how it is fulfilling its responsibility to uphold basic standards of decency on our public airwaves.”
Ms Hanson-Young said both the Prime Minister and Peter Dutton should condemn comments being made on air by the pair.
“If they’re serious about protecting kids from harm then they would call this appalling behaviour out,” she said.
“Clearly the Commercial Radio Broadcast Code is not fit for purpose. The communications regulator appears to be a toothless tiger failing to uphold basic standards of decency when it comes to vulgarity on our airwaves.
“The Code and ACMA powers are in need of a genuine, independent review.”
In a statement, an ACMA spokesman said the media authority are considering the information provided by Senator Hanson-Young.
“The ACMA took a number of questions on notice from Senator Hanson-Young about this matter at a parliamentary hearing earlier this month,” the spokesman said.
“We are currently considering the information provided by the senator as well as other complaints we have received about the program.”
The spokesman added that the media authority has conducted several investigations into the program already.
“We have also commenced an investigation into a complaint relating to explicit sexual content broadcast on the program earlier this year,” the spokeswoman said.
“The findings of that investigation will be made public when it is completed.
“The ACMA has investigated the Kyle & Jackie O Show twice since 2023, resulting in breach findings of the decency provisions of the Commercial Radio Code of Practice. The breaches related to comments made about Paralympians and Mpox.
“Following these breaches, the ACMA initiated ongoing enforcement action against the licensee of the Kyle and Jackie O Show, resulting in court-enforceable undertakings made by the licensee.”
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