Radio star Kip Wightman calls father Paul to heal old wounds following emotional on-air breakdown

KIIS 97.3 presenter Kip Wightman called his father on air to discuss their relationship growing up, while revealing his desire to break the cycle with his five-year-old son.

KIIS 97.3's radio presenter Kip Wightman, Milton. Picture: Liam Kidston

KIIS 97.3 host Kip Wightman has made an emotional on-air phone call to his father, Paul Wightman, confronting their shared history of anger and opening up about his desperate hope to break the cycle with his own young son, Rafael.

The candid conversation, which aired on Friday morning, came just one day after Wightman broke down sobbing during a segment about Netflix’s harrowing new drama Adolescence — revealing fears that his five-year-old son may one day mirror his own inherited rage.

“I’ve inherited your temper,” Kip told his father on air. “And I’m desperately trying not to pass it on to Raphael.

The vulnerable exchange was sparked after Wightman read a Courier-Mail article detailing his emotional on-air moment — and worried it may have painted his father unfairly.

“I just wanted to say some of the things I said yesterday, I think when I read them in The Courier-Mail, it made it seem very negative on you,” he told his dad.

“I just wanted to point out that you were a great dad, you were a very loving dad... You weren’t a drinker, it’s not like you came home raging and did that.”

Kip Wightman with son Rafael, 2, at home. Picture: Annette Dew

But Wightman also didn’t shy away from addressing the moments that left a lasting mark.

“There were times you lost your temper,” he said. “And I think, if there’s one thing you wish you never gave me, it’s that, right?”

His father quietly agreed: “I think so, yeah.”

Speaking with rare honesty, Paul Wightman admitted he felt “a lot of remorse” over his outbursts during Kip’s childhood.

“Cyclone Paul was my code name,” he said. “It might be once every year... usually over an event, and yeah, I certainly didn’t like it. I’d stay away from you all and go and work in the garden.”

The moment was a powerful continuation of Thursday’s emotional broadcast, where Wightman — overcome while discussing Adolescence — opened up about childhood trauma and the fear of repeating history with his own son.

“I definitely got my temper from my dad,” he said. “And I’m so afraid that I’m gonna... that [Raf’s] gonna see me rage out and then think it’s normal and do it.”

But despite the heavy conversation, Paul Wightman offered reassurance about his grandson’s future.

“I think Raf is a far more controlled person,” he said. “I think he’s going to be fine.”

KIIS 97.3's new breakfast trio Kip Wightman, Robin Bailey, and Corey Oates, Milton. Picture: Liam Kidston

Co-host Robin Bailey, who witnessed both moments unfold on air, praised Paul Wightman for his openness and courage in breaking the silence.

“You’re amazing,” she said. “You’ve raised an amazing son, who is raising an amazing son — because you’re willing to talk about it.

“You just took our phone call, you’re willing to hear some stuff most parents wouldn’t address... You’ve said it so a whole lot of other people can hear it, and man, I honour you.”

The heartfelt exchange struck a chord with listeners, offering a rare and powerful glimpse into how generational patterns of anger can be acknowledged — and potentially broken — through open and honest conversation.

But in a surprising twist at the end of the segment, it appeared Paul Wightman hadn’t realised the deeply personal call was being broadcast live.

“Are we on air, are we?” he asked, sounding caught off guard.

The full conversation aired during Friday’s KIIS97.3 breakfast show.