Abbie Chatfield ‘baffled’ by radio’s refusal to reprimand Kyle Sandilands

Radio star Abbie Chatfield has slammed Kyle Sandilands for his continually ‘disappointing’ and ‘disgusting’ comments on air — and she’s taken aim at the breakfast king’s listeners, too.

Radio host Abbie Chatfield has questioned why FM king Kyle Sandilands is not reprimanded for offensive remarks he makes about people living with a disability.

Ms Chatfield, a former Bachelorette and considered by some as radio’s fastest rising star, said she was “baffled” that Sandilands was able to continue making remarks such as “spaz” on air, saying it was continually “disappointing” and “disgusting.”

“I have no idea (how Sandilands hasn’t been cancelled),” Ms Chatfield told The Daily Telegraph.

“I don’t know why he’s not at least being reprimanded.

“I don’t know why advertisers still align.”

Abbie Chatfield has taken aim at Kyle Sandilands. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Two major Australian brands — Bunnings, and Vodafone parent company TPG Telecom — said they were reviewing their advertising spend on KIIS FM following Sandilands’ recent nine-minute rant, in which he smashed his bosses and publicity team as “losers” and “flops”, while also using the term “spazzes”.

“It’s as baffling to me as it is to everyone else,” Ms Chatfield continued. “I don’t know how he can continue … What he said during the Paralympics was awful, and then saying one of the night hosts probably had monkeypox.”

Kyle Sandilands with his KIIS-FM co-host Jackie O Henderson. Picture: Mike Batterham

“I’m sure if someone like Fitzy or Wippa, the loveliest guys in the world, said something like that, they’d get in a lot of s..t.

When asked why Mr Sandilands is given infinite grace for these offences, Ms Chatfield said she believed it was because a pattern had been set.

“People go, ‘well that’s just Kyle’. What he wants is people to call him out, so people are listening to hear what wild thing he’ll say next.

“It’s continually disappointing and continually … disgusting, the things that he says on air.

“I’m sure people don’t agree with him wholeheartedly. I don’t think they’re vehemently ‘for’ being ableist. They’re more apathetic, which is also an issue.”

Sandilands at the filming of Australian Idol auditions in Sydney. He is a judge on the latest season. Picture: Tim Hunter

She compared Sandilands’ popularity to Donald Trump’s, in the context of people with immense privilege pushing back against minorities.

“They’ve had so much privilege for so long, that now they feel they’re being questioned on things that are legitimate, like being homophobic, transphobic, racist, or ableist, they want someone to, quote unquote, fight back for them, to push minorities back down.”

The original blow-up was sparked by Mr Sandilands’ outrage that the show had not received more publicity heralding the most recent radio ratings, in which KIIS placed second overall in breakfast, based on audience percentage.

“From my POV, and this could be controversial,” Ms Chatfield said, “I don’t think we actually know what the radio ratings are for anyone.

So it’s very confusing for me when people are not reprimanded because they’re the number one show.”

KIIS FM parent company ARN apologised for “everyone impacted” one week later, and “supported” Mr Sandilands’ apology, which he qualified with: “I’m never going to change. I’m still not changing (for) the woke world”.

Mr Sandilands also said that if the day came when he was cancelled, he would “sit at home counting money”.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]