Kyle Sandilands: How radio host went from homeless to multi-millionaire
After a difficult upbringing with heavy drinking and homelessness, radio king Kyle Sandilands never imagined he would make it big.
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After a difficult upbringing with heavy drinking and homelessness, radio king Kyle Sandilands never imagined he would make it big.
Earlier this year, the Kyle and Jackie O show marked 20 years on-air and Sandilands told Confidential that the show’s success has been mind-blowing.
“It’s almost ridiculous to think that... My aim was to be good enough to maybe go to the Gold Coast one day and maybe do a practice show at the Gold Coast, that’s when I was in regional Queensland that was my aim,” he said.
“So it’s been a really wild and fun ride and because of my anti-authority drilled into my system for some reason as a kid, I just took that through the whole radio business.
“Old bosses used to threaten to fire me saying, ‘you can’t say this, you can’t do that’. I was like ‘well I can just be me’, I can’t really do anything [about it]. So if you don’t want me to do what I do, maybe you shouldn’t have hired me.”
The KIIS FM host, 49, became homeless during his teenage years after getting kicked out of his family home.
He eventually quit hard partying and heavy drinking, which helped him stay focused and progress at Townsville radio.
He said he’s reminded of just how far he’s come whenever he goes back to his hometown.
“It’s when I go back to Brisbane and I drive down a street that I used to walk around when I was homeless, that’s when it really comes back as a real feeling but other than that it’s a distant memory,” he said.
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In 2016, Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O Henderson reportedly signed a five year deal with KIIS worth at least $20 million each and have consistently maintained solid ratings over the years.
Now a radio star, Sandilands’ multi-million dollar empire includes several properties and lucrative businesses, including his Nueva Sangria which he says also had unexpected success.
“It’s been more successful than I thought. It was just a little side project and it was only ever going to be available online and on our website. It’s doing very well,” said Sandilands, who rarely drinks.
Nueva is among dozens of businesses which are in the running to get shelf space in BWS as part of its Local Luvva campaign, designed to support local brands during the pandemic.
Sandilands’ friend Dean Wells is also in the running for shelf space for his wine business Little Ripples, which donates proceeds from every sale to building water wells in Uganda, and the pair have formed a friendly rivalry.
“If we win, I’m going to have to build a school or something in Africa,” Sandilands said.
“Dean’s giving money to kids that need it. I’m just spending it on petrol and exotic cars. So I’ve got to work out how much it costs to build a school in Africa because I think that’s something we should do as a company. If it takes Dean Wells to teach me a lesson, then so be it.”
Wells said supporting local businesses is more important than ever during the global health crisis.
“As a growing business, the pandemic has been devastating. It’s been tough,” the former Married at First Sight star said.
“I think it’s just an amazing thing that BWS are doing, during this time we all need to be supporting locals.”
Fans can vote for their favourite local brands before October 2 at BWS.com.au.