Jackie O reveals she wasn’t paid a cent for the first series of Popstars

Jackie O was a judge on the first series of Popstars, which was a ratings smash. But the radio host wasn’t well compensated at all.

Jackie O has revealed the shocking amount she was paid to be one of the judges on the first season of Popstars in 2000.

The radio star was one of three judges on the reality show alongside Warner Music’s Chris Moss and music manager Michael Napthali.

“I did Popstars for free … I didn’t get paid for Popstars,” Jackie O said on her KIIS FM radio show this morning.

Popstars judges: Michael Napthali, Jackie O and Chris Moss.

Beau Ryan, who was filling in for a sick Kyle Sandilands on the radio show, was shocked by Jackie O’s confession. “Are you serious? You didn’t get one cent for Popstars?” he said.

“The first series, which was the biggest one, the Bardot one, I did that for free,” said Jackie O who now gets paid more than $4 million per year by KIIS FM.

“No one mentioned anything about money, so I didn’t mention money,” she added. “I remember we were in Adelaide doing auditions … and you know how they hand out per diems which is like $60 … they handed me this envelope, and I didn’t know what a per diem was … and I opened it and I saw $67 in there, and I went up to the executive director and gave him a big hug and said, ‘Thank you so much!’

“I was stoked I was getting cash,” Jackie O said.

Jackie O greets Popstars hopefuls at the auditions in Perth. Picture: Jody D'Arcy

As the radio host mentioned, the first season of Popstars formed the girl group Bardot, which originally featured Belinda Chapple, Sophie Monk, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Chantelle Barry. But the latter was quickly dropped from the line-up and replaced with Tiffani Wood.

No explanation was offered at the time. “Family reasons” were alluded to. But there was a darker reason. Magazines at the time reported Barry had been “sacked for stealing” from Monk.

In 2017, Barry opened up about what really happened in a tell-all interview with Woman’s Day.

“Sophie left her $100 weekly allowance in an envelope in my bedroom, and I intended to return it on the weekend — we had plans to go to a gig together,” she told the magazine.

What a scandal!

“In a moment of stupidity, being a teenager and thinking that a pair of shoes was more important than the friendship I had with Sophie, I decided to keep her money for myself.”

Barry was paid $1000 by management to leave the group and stay silent on the matter. But that meant she couldn’t tell her side of the story at the time.

“I was young, naive and saw it as a way out,” she said.

In response to Barry’s magazine interview, Monk spoke about the drama to Kyle and Jackie O.

“You need to remember we were on like $25 a day, so I’m living off that money,” Monk told the KIIS FM radio hosts.

“I had no money to buy food or anything. So she (Chantelle Barry) collected my money for me, and the way we found it, it was in the garbage bin — the Sophie envelope with the money missing.”

Sophie Monk, Belinda Chapple, Katie Underwood, Tiffani Wood and Sally Polihronas.

Monk claimed she and the other band members confronted Barry about the theft because they found out she’d taken other stuff from them.

“She had stolen hairdryers and Chanel stuff,” Monk told Kyle and Jackie O.

“But the funniest thing is, I was the only one who wanted to keep her in the band. I really liked her, and people go through things, and I thought she was so talented. We all do stupid things.”

Bardot’s debut single, Poison, and their debut album both entered the charts at number one, and the group played to huge crowds around Australia.

Bardot at a promotional performance at Parramatta Westfield in 2000.

Bardot performing in the Karrinyup Shopping Centre in Perth.

But the group was dealt a devastating blow when Underwood was offered a role in the Hair stage show, meaning she’d have to leave the group.

Speaking about her decision to news.com.au, Underwood explained: “Yeah, I’m in this great band, but we’re still not earning any money, and now I’ve got someone who wants to take me on a national musical and pay me $2000 per show.

“I surveyed the girls, and half of them thought it was a great opportunity, and half of them thought it was a betrayal to consider leaving. That was fine; I had to hear all that out. But I decided to leave and take a chance.

Bardot’s second album Play It Like That, which featured hits including ASAP and I Need Somebody, was released in 2001, but just a few months later in April 2002, the girls announced the band had broken up.

Bardot’s farewell performance aired on Channel V.