Jackie O is one of Australia’s most popular radio and television hostesses. She is famous for hosting shows like Hot Hits Live from LA, Take 40 Australia, Hot30 Countdown, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, and two seasons of Australian Princess.
She has also guest-starred on a 2007 comedy program, The Nine Network and presented celebrity prank shows like Surprise Surprise Gotcha. She co-hosted Big Brother with Kyle Sandilands after Killeen, the show’s original host, left the show.
On November 1, 2013, Jackie and her co-host Kyle announced they would cease hosting the 2Day FM breakfast program in 2014. At the time, the program brought in over AUD 30 million in ad income annually.
On November 29, 2013, the duo announced they would join the competing radio station ARN and start a night “Best Bits” programme on 106.5 stations in 2014.
Following Sandilands’ challenge, Jackie O released the song “Honey Money” in 2018, which went on to top the Aussies iTunes chart and saw all sales earnings go to Aussies farmers suffering from drought.
Biography
Jacqueline Ellen Henderson, popularly known as Jackie O, is a well-known Australian radio and television hostess. Jackie O was born in Eastwood, NSW, Australia, on January 31, 1975. In 1993, she started working in radio, reading the news for Sydney’s 2SM station.
After that, she worked for many radio stations before collaborating with Kyle on their show, the Kyle and Jackie O Show, in 2005 on Sydney’s 2Day station. She and Kyle Sandilands have co-hosted the show since it rose to popularity.
Besides the Kyle and Jackie O Show, she is famous for hosting other popular shows like The Masked Singer and Australian Princess. Jackie O received numerous honours for her efforts in the entertainment sector, including Best Syndicated Program.
Jackie O is renowned for her charitable activity and her job in the media. She has affiliations with some charitable organisations, including the Cancer Council Australia. She is also a passionate advocate for animal rights.
Lee Henderson, a British photographer, is the man she is married to, and they have a daughter named Kitty.
Family
Jackie O and co-host Phil O’Neil were married throughout their joint radio career. O’Neil went to the UK in the late 1990s following their divorce. She married Lee Henderson, a British photojournalist, in 2003. In October 2018, they made their breakup public.
Jackie O’s Career
Radio
Before meeting Phil O’Neil, the then-night presenter at the Gold Coast’s Sea FM in 1993, Jackie O had no intention of becoming a radio host. She was a sandwich maker and office girl at a delicatessen.
A couple of months later, she and O’Neil relocated to Canberra after O’Neil accepted a job offer from FM104.7. The management eventually consented, even though no compensation was offered, after initially rejecting having her serve as his “phone girl.”
Soon after, O’Neil agreed to join the Triple M Adelaide station because Jackie would be his co-presenter. At this point, she started using Jackie O as her stage name. When the following survey’s results were released, the duo’s ratings had comfortably surpassed SAFM’s in a similar time slot, having easily doubled.
Following a further increase in ratings, Jackie and Phil were hired by Melbourne’s Fox FM. Soon after moving to Sydney’s 2Day FM, their show (Hot 30) became hugely successful.
The pair co-hosted the Hot 30 radio series, and a music program dabbed Ground Zero on Network Ten later in the 1990s. Sadly, after their divorce and O’Neil’s move to the UK, they stopped co-hosting.
Henderson’s radio career took off after she joined the Today Network, started broadcasting from Sydney’s 2Day FM, and teamed up with “shock jock” Kyle Sandilands. The couple went from the drive-time show to the breakfast show in January 2005. As of August 2009, they were still in charge of hosting the Hot Hits countdown show.
Henderson has made appearances on radio, television, and in advertisements besides providing the voice of the personality “Loretta Geargrinder” in the Aussies version of the animated film Robots.
Kyle and Jackie O announced their plans to switch from 2Day FM station to KIIS 106.5FM in August 2013. While 2Day FM lost 242,000 listeners due to the relocation, KiiS FM’s breakfast listenership doubled by March 2014, making it Sydney’s most listened FM show with a staggering audience of over 532,000.
The song “Honey Money,” written by artist Avalonia and produced by producer Oliver from KIIS FM, reached the top spot on the Aussies iTunes chart in 2018 after Sandilands challenged Jackie O to write and record a song in a single day.
Drought Angels, a charitable foundation that helps Australian farmers affected by drought, got all the proceeds from the song.
Later, the song was taken down because the artwork had copyright infringement. After all, Jackie O’s looks were, allegedly, a quick photoshop onto Iggy Azalea’s. Jackie O declared that she would upload the song again for no charge.
Tv Career
Jackie O has been featured in several television programs as a host, most notably the Popstars Show, which featured broadcast tryouts for vocal groups. In 2005, Jackie O hosted the popular Network Ten reality program The Australian Princess, where some women converted into princesses.
Australian Princess’ second season began airing on Network 10 in December during the summertime non-ratings period. The Network should have explained why it was broadcast outside the designated rating window.
As a significant cast member, she appeared in The Nation, which aired in June 2007 on the Nine Network. She co-hosted the comedy program Surprise Gotcha on Nine Network, almost similar to the Australian equivalent of Punk’d. The show got famous by pulling pranks on several notable people.
She and her radio co-host Kyle Sandilands were tapped to succeed Gretel Killeen as hosts of the 2008 Big Brother (BB) Australia season in October 2007. Between its debut in 2001 through 2007, Killeen was the program’s host. Network Ten stated on July 14, 2008, that Big Brother Oz would not return in the subsequent years.
Jackie O would later be among the guessers on The Masked Artist Australia in 2019, along with Dave Hughes, Dannii Minogue, and Lindsay Lohan. However, she revealed that she would leave the show after the third season to spend more time with her baby. Abbie Chatfield, another radio personality, took her place.
Personal Life
She married her co-presenter, Phil O’Neil, throughout their radio career together. In the 1990s, O’Neil relocated to the UK following their divorce. In October 2018, they made their breakup public.
In 2009, Zoo Magazine ranked Jackie O as the second-most hated Australian celebrity, trailing only co-host Kyle Sandilands at the top of the list.
Jackie O recently opened up about her changing weight. She acknowledged that she had started gaining weight rapidly in late 2019 and was eager to lose weight before The Masked Singer season two’s filming.
Jackie O signed on as a Weight Watchers ambassador in late 2020, and in 2021 she made a public 10-kilogram weight loss. However, Jackie disclosed in 2022 that she had gained all the weight she had previously lost due to signing up for Weight Watchers.
Following a prolonged bout with the coronavirus later in the year, Jackie O took a “Health Break” from her radio program. She said she had lost over 12 kg thanks to WW when she returned in January 2023, looking thinner.
Jackie O’s Net Worth
Jackie’s net worth is about $5 million. Her primary source of wealth, her pay, comes from her work as a television celebrity. Jackie O enjoys a luxury lifestyle and luxury vehicles. She is among Australia’s wealthiest and most prominent media figures.
Highest Paid Media Personalities in Australia
It takes a lot of work to host a radio show.
It takes a ton of talent, charisma, and a voice that can captivate even the most indifferent of us tremendous hold an audience on a national scale.
Jackie Henderson, from The Kyle and Jackie O Program on KIIS FM, was asked how much money she makes annually in a now-viral TikTok.
Jackie said she “didn’t know” in response to the question about her yearly income.
The radio personality smiled and retorted, “Right, yeah,” after the interviewer correctly predicted “$150,000.”
The radio personality reportedly makes between $7 and $8 million annually.
Kyle and Jackie O Annual Income
While it’s unclear exactly how much the radio hosts make, a 2021 rumour speculates that they each earn at least $5 million in addition to large bonuses.
Unquestionably, the number has increased since that time. The team makes the most money from any Australian radio broadcast pairing.
McMahon and Woody Whitelaw Annual Income
Will and Woody reportedly earn $500,000 a year thanks to a lucrative deal they struck in 2020; however, their income is lower than that of Kyle and Jackie O.
They committed to KIIS FM for an additional three years nearly three years ago.
Australians will watch Will and Woody with interest to see what happens next, but they have a hunch they’ll continue to enjoy their nighttime radio spot for some time.
Hamish and Andy’s Annual Income
Now that the comedy team has left their SCA (Southern Cross Austereo) positions, they no longer genuinely host a radio program. They remain among the highest-paid hosts in Australian history.
The two had previously departed their breakfast radio slot with SCA in 2013, but they returned in July 2015 when it was claimed that their absence cost the network $500 million.
The Daily Telegraph claims they were each guaranteed $4 million annually when they returned to the program.
When you consider that Kyle and Jackie O requested half of that a year ago, it is astounding that the source informed the outlet that they are paying Hamish and Andy over $4 million yearly.
In 2017, Hamish and Andy permanently departed radio and now co-host the most well-liked podcast in Australia.
Brendan Fevola, Fifi Box and Nick Cody’s Annual Income
The Daily Mail claims that Fifi earns a salary “in the millions” every year, which is unsurprising given that she has been the show’s longest-serving host.
Close behind, with a rumoured annual salary of $1.2 million, is retiring AFL player Brendan Fevola.
Ray Hadley Annual Income
Following the disclosure of Ray Hadley’s $9 million radio deal, the Nine Network’s payment to other well-known figures has been made public.
According to sources, Hadley, 68, will continue earning the most on Nine, earning $3.5 million annually.
Until the end of 2026, the Morning Show host will continue working for 2GB.
According to The Australian, comedian Hamish Blake follows in second place, earning $2 million annually as host of LEGO Masters, a program where teams construct spectacular structures out of LEGO.
Kyle and Jackie O Induction Into Radio’s Hall of Fame
Kyle has explained how he has persevered in radio despite numerous professional issues.
He and Jackie O, his longtime co-host, were inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame, making them the talk of the radio business.
Kyle also honoured a past supervisor who looked out for him during his career and ensured he was never fired during their award speech at the ACRAs.
Jackie O thanked her former husband, Phil, during her moving speech for the opportunities he gave her and for showing her the passion and the need for hard work in radio.
Kitty, who was present, was also honoured; she said that her daughter never made her feel terrible for not always being around in the mornings to drop her kids off. She is incredibly calm, pleasant, and patient.
She ended by thanking Kyle, who has been her co-host for 22 years, and stating that he was her lifeline.
Conclusion
Given that celebrities are known for hiding their funds, it may be challenging to determine Jackie O’s exact net worth. However, it is well known that she has achieved enormous success in Australia as a radio and tv host.
Thanks to her massively popular radio program and numerous television appearances, Jackie O has probably earned a sizeable income from various sources, including her regular TV salary. Although the exact amount of her fortune is unknown, her continued success in the media industry suggests that it is substantial. Her wealth is an indication of her talent and fame.
Jackie O has made a name for herself as a prominent media personality who has achieved considerably more in her career than just financial achievement.
She is now more valuable as a media personality thanks to her charisma, wit, and capacity to make audiences feel like they know her. One of the most well-known media figures in Australia is Jackie O, and as her career succeeds and she does more and more projects, her wealth continues to grow.