‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil announces shock career move

The veteran radio host has announced he’s accepted a job which comes with some of the worst work hours imaginable.

Veteran radio host Ugly Phil O’Neil has announced he’s leaving Sydney’s Gold FM to become a talkback host on a rival station.

From March 4, O’Neil will join Sydney’s 2GB and Brisbane’s 4BC to host the overnight show from midnight to 5.30am (four nights a week).

“All the roads I’ve travelled have led to this moment,” O’Neil said in a statement. “There are no finer radio stations to pursue my talk radio aspirations than at 2GB and 4BC.

“This really is the most exciting and pivotal moment of my career,” he said.

The move will see O’Neil leave Sydney’s Gold FM which he’s been a part of since 2020.

Phil O'Neil can currently be heard on Sydney’s Gold FM, which used to be known as WSFM.

He currently hosts the morning shift each day (9am to 1pm) and has proven himself to be a ratings winner for the station.

In the second last round of radio ratings last year, O’Neil achieved what many had considered impossible … he beat 2GB’s Ray Hadley who had topped Sydney’s morning ratings for more than 20 years in a row.

“It is not the end of the world, just the end of a record-breaking run,” Hadley, who has since retired, said on air at the time.

“It is a bit hard to complain when you get beaten in the case that we’ve been beaten today when you’ve had so much success over such a long period of time and it would be completely lacking in grace not to congratulate Ugly Phil O’Neil for his victory today.”

Ugly Phil and Jackie O were married for about a year in the late 90s.

O’Neil, who was previously married to radio star Jackie O, will continue to host the morning show on Gold FM for the next month.

The station’s breakfast hosts, Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones, paid tribute to their colleague on air on Friday morning.

“We love Phil, he is the most brilliant broadcaster,” Keller said. “He will succeed wherever he goes.”

“Well not succeed too much,” Jones replied, “he’s going to the opposition!”