“Maybe I shouldn’t have said it”: Kyle lets slip his Idol salary on air
In a surprising turn of events, radio shock jock and KIIS FM star Kyle Sandilands has unintentionally spilled the beans about his substantial salary for the revamped Australian Idol during a recent episode of The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
The revelation came during an interview with pop sensation Dean Lewis, where Sandilands, in a candid moment, discussed the financial perks of his television gig.
The conversation began innocently enough, with Sandilands expressing his frustrations about the time commitment required for television work. It was then that Lewis, in a light-hearted manner, probed the radio presenter on why he had taken on the role in the first place.
Sandilands, initially reluctant to reveal the figures, eventually gave in to the curiosity and admitted, "Listen, it's clearly over a million dollars for three months of work; you'd be a fool not to do it."
However, Sandilands quickly followed up his revelation with a note of uncertainty about whether he was allowed to discuss his salary publicly. He admitted, "I don't know how much they're paying the others, so maybe I shouldn't have said it."
Lewis responded with astonishment, acknowledging that it was, indeed, a substantial sum. “That is a lot of money," he said. "That’s actually epic.”
This salary disclosure comes at a pivotal time for the Australian Idol franchise, as it undergoes significant changes in its judging panel and strives to recapture its former glory. For the series reboot last year, which aired on Channel 7, international music stars Meghan Trainor and Harry Connick Jr. joined the panel, giving it a fresh look. However, they did not return for the 2024 season. In their place, veteran judge Marcia Hines has made a triumphant return to the hot seat, two decades after being part of the original panel when the show debuted in 2003. This time, she joins Sandilands and Amy Shark on the judging panel.
The rebooted Australian Idol faced challenges during its initial run, struggling to attain the ratings it had achieved during its heyday. Upon its premiere in January, the show consistently trailed behind its timeslot competitors, Married At First Sight and Australian Survivor.
Toward the end of the series, it was attracting an average of approximately 409,000 viewers across the five major metropolitan areas, in stark contrast to the 835,000 viewers for MAFS and 536,000 for Australian Survivor.
To make matters more challenging, the winning singer from the show's reboot failed to make a significant impact on the pop charts, further highlighting the hurdles that the revamped Australian Idol faces.
Images: Australian Idol