Ben Fordham reveals critical mistake Kyle Sandilands made amid fallout with Jackie 'O' Henderson

2GB Radio host Ben Fordham has weighed in on the critical "mistake" Kyle Sandilands made that led to the fallout between him and his co-host, and Jackie 'O' Henderson.

Fordham told Behind the Mic with Mike E host Michael Etheridge that the conversation between the radio legends should have never played out on air.

"If Kyle had said to Jackie off air, 'Babe, your interest in astrology is driving me nuts', I reckon Jackie probably would have said 'oh right'," he said.

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During their on-air row on February 20, Jackie O read from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's astrology birth chart when things kicked off.

Sandilands told her the "obsession" with astrology had made her "almost unworkable," adding "you're off with the fairies with this s--t, it's mental."

Following the argument, Henderson's contract with the Australian Radio Network (ARN) was terminated as she could no longer work with Sandilands, while he was suspended for two weeks to respond to accusations of misconduct by the radio station.

Fordham, who is arguably Kyle and Jackie O's biggest radio rival, explained that the actual astrology conversation was not the issue, but rather the way it unfolded so publicly.

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"She's not a difficult person to work with, but it's the way he did it. Listening to that 13 minutes of audio, she was begging him to stop – saying 'This isn't fair, I would never do this to you'," Fordham explained.

"He was already so far into it that he just steamrolled over the top of her.

"That's where the mistake was made."

The 2GB host added that Sandilands knows he's in a bad position, which is why he released a statement to his listeners.

"He knows he's cooked, so he's fighting for his job, hoping he can whip up support from listeners and the public," he added.

"My gut tells me the Kyle and Jackie O show is finished on ARN.

"I think Jackie will be offered another role, Kyle? Probably not."

Fordham also offered some insight into the legal battle that the network faces if the situation escalates.

"Lawyers will have to decide if they're confident they can beat him in an unfair dismissal case. And Kyle should feel confident he can win that case," Fordham said.

"They've got to weigh up whether they invite him back and take another hit to revenue, or risk blowing potentially tens of millions of dollars on lawyers at an unfair dismissal payout.

"Kyle is fighting to keep his job; he wants his job back. I don't think he's going to get it."

Fordham also took a dig at the show's "catastrophic" decision to enter the Melbourne market in 2024 – which ultimately failed to make a dent in the ratings as predicted.

"When you're focusing on Melbourne, that means you're taking the eye off the ball in Sydney, and that's probably partly why we (2GB) beat them seven out of eight surveys last year," he joked.

Sandilands and Henderson have been an on-air partnership for 27 years after starting their careers hosting the Top 30 on 2Day FM in 1999.

They moved to breakfast in 2005 and then to KIIS in 2014, where they were under contract in a lucrative $200m 10-year deal that ran until December 2034.

There is currently no word on who might take over KIIS FM's coveted breakfast show should Sandilands not rectify his breach within 14 days. 

READ KYLE SANDILANDS' STATEMENT IN FULL:

I want to speak directly to my listeners, my colleagues and the public about what has been happening.

On 20 February, I had an argument with Jackie on air about something that had been bothering me for a while. I said things I wish I had said differently.

"That same evening, I sent Jackie a message telling her I was sorry for anything I said that didn't go down well, that I love her and care for her, and that I could have handled it better.

"I meant every word of that, and I still do. Jackie and I have worked together for over 25 years. She is one of the most important people in my life. The idea that our partnership could end like this is devastating to me.

ARN told me that I am not allowed to contact Jackie. They have told me that I am not allowed to speak to my colleagues. I did what was asked even though it made it impossible for me to do the one thing anyone in my position would want to do – pick up the phone and talk to the person I have been talking with continually for my entire career.

The truth is that ARN terminated Jackie's contract on the same day it accused me of a breach. It suspended me from work. All of this happened while I was being told to sit quietly and say nothing. That is not a genuine process.

I am not going to pretend that everything about this situation is simple. Jackie told me she was hurt, and I accept that. But we have had disagreements before and we have always worked through them. That is what partners do. We never needed lawyers or ASX announcements to sort things out. I believe we could have sorted this out too, if ARN had given us the chance.

I have a contract with ARN that runs until 2034. I am committed to that contract.

Despite what ARN says, I am not in breach of that contract.

I want to be on air. I want to be with my audience. I want to do the job I have done my entire adult life.

I am asking ARN to do the right thing: honour our agreement and let me get back to doing what I do best – entertaining the people who have supported this show for more than two decades.

To my listeners: Thank you. I miss you. I'll be back.

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