Jackie ‘O’ Henderson opens up about ‘embarrassment’ over huge salary

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has opened up about the shame she feels around her wealth, saying it can be “quite scary to earn a lot of money.”

She’s one of the most well-paid women in Australia’s entertainment industry, but Jackie ’O’ Henderson has revealed she’s long been “embarrassed” by reports of her wealth.

In one of her most candid interviews to date, the KIIS FM co-host spoke on Stellar’s Something To Talk About podcast about the “scary” reality of being a self-made female millionaire, particularly as she navigates an unfamiliar dating life.

“I do sometimes get embarrassed to talk about money. I hate showing off wealth. I’ve always been like that … I want a nice bag, car and house, but I don’t want to flaunt it,” Jackie, 48, said.

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson said she “hates” showing off wealth. Picture: Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images

“But [at the same time] I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it, so I am trying to take more ownership of that.

“And as a man, they’d absolutely be owning that, and as a female, when you’re single, it’s quite scary to earn a lot of money, because a lot of men can be intimidated by that.

“And so your instinct is to downplay it for that reason.”

Keeping her salary information on the down low is particularly difficult for someone in Jackie’s position.

The breakfast radio queen and her longtime co-host, Kyle Sandilands, signed a contract with ARN in 2019 worth a rumoured $7-8 million per year each, which will see their Kyle and Jackie O Show continue to air until at least the end of 2024.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O are two of the highest-paid talents in Australia.

And while she said she was grateful at achieving such highs in her career, Jackie felt she preferred the “chase” over the destination.

“I am grateful for it, I am, but sometimes I think … I wish I was just back in my 20s and trying to buy my first apartment,” she said.

“Isn’t that weird? It’s only a thought I had a couple of weeks ago … I don’t know. I keep asking myself why I’m thinking that way.

“All I’ll say is, as women, we just need to be proud a little more.”

In March, photos emerged of Jackie celebrating with her young daughter, Kitty, after scoring a $13.25 million beachfront Clovelly mansion at auction.

Jackie O got candid about her personal life. Picture: jackieo_official/Instagram

Jackie purchased the Clovelly home in March.

While Jackie, who also features in this Sunday’s Stellar magazine, concedes she could have sent someone to bid on her behalf – which would have avoided paparazzi capturing the moment – she said the moment was deeply personal – having been able to achieve her lifelong dream of owning a waterfront property.

“I was really proud of myself that day, because I had my daughter with me, and I am a single mum now and it was nice to be able to show her we can have financial independence,” she said.

Jackie added, “For me, my dream ever since I was a little girl has been to own a beachfront home. But over the years I’ve always thought, ‘I wonder if I’ll ever be able to do that?’ Those things are very hard to achieve.

“So that day, when I went to the auction, I’m so glad I did [because] I wasn’t going to, and my financial adviser said, ‘It’d be good if you could be there to read the room.’ If I hadn’t have been there, I wouldn’t have got that place. I know that for sure.

“And I’m glad I was there for that moment. It’s not ideal there was a photographer there, and they were filming it, and I was thinking, ‘Oh no, now everyone’s gonna know how much I paid for this.’ But I shouldn’t hide away from it. I’ve worked really hard to achieve what I have.”

You can listen to Jackie’s full interview wherever you get your podcasts.

Read Jackie’s interview in Stellar, available in News Corp’s The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland), and Sunday Mail (SA)