Kyle and Jackie O bill themselves as the radio show with ‘money, cars and stars’, but Nova rival Lauren Phillips is determined to keep stars as far away from KIIS FM as possible.
Phillips, one half of the Jase and Lauren show that KIIS dropped to make way for Kyle and Jackie’s Melbourne expansion, is telling his celebrity friends to avoid doing interviews with Sydney’s tabloid presenters.
Despite already holding a comfortable lead over K&J in Melbourne, Phillips, 41, wants to turn things around by making his show with Jason “Jase” Hawkins the number one destination for celebrity interviews.
With a blacklist that includes celebrities including Matt Damon, Zac Efron and Chris Hemsworth, sources say she has “begged her famous friends” to turn down any overtures from Kyle and Jackie O and speak exclusively to Nova.
“She has asked them to say no to KIIS for the next few months. The plan is to prevent Kyle and Jackie O from having access to the Byron Bay set, where she is a key figure,” said a source close to the actress. Australian Daily Mail.
“If Lauren can get these stars to turn down Kyle and Jackie O, that’s a huge plus. Especially since KIIS prides itself on being the home of Hollywood stars.
‘Kyle and Jackie O has really been the only radio show on the market that has consistently featured A-list guests up to this point.
“But Lauren’s genuine connections to the Byron Bay celebrity crowd could be a threat to her monopoly if she can convince the Hemsworths and all their friends to boycott KIIS.”
Kyle and Jackie O bill themselves as the radio show with “money, cars and stars” but Nova rival Lauren Phillips (pictured with co-host Jason Hawkins) is determined to keep stars as far away from KIIS FM as possible.
According to sources, Phillips, who has a blacklist that includes A-list stars such as Matt Damon, Zac Efron and Chris Hemsworth, has “pleaded with his famous friends” to reject any overtures from Kyle and Jackie O and speak exclusively to Nova. (Pictured: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson)
The source revealed that Phillips continued to build new celebrity contacts while attending star-studded events with her fiancé Paul O’Brien, who ferries stars around Australia with his private jet business.
For example, she recently attended the wedding of personal trainer Luke Zocchi, Chris Hemsworth’s best friend and right-hand man..
O’Brien runs the high-end charter group AVMIN, which counts celebrity clients including Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, as well as the Hemsworths.
“Lauren has been smart about networking with Hollywood heavyweights and I bet she’ll network like crazy to turn these stars into ‘friends of the show,'” the source said.
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Phillips denied that she had personally requested her celebrity friends not to appear on The Kyle and Jackie O Show..
Despite having a comfortable lead over Kyle and Jackie in Melbourne, Phillips wants to make a radical change and turn his show into the number one destination for celebrity interviews. He is pictured second from left at the 2021 Gold Dinner alongside Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky (together, centre), Luciana Barroso (left) and Liam Hemsworth and Gabriella Brooks (together, right).
“She has asked them to say no to KIIS for the next few months. The plan is to prevent Kyle and Jackie O from having access to the Byron Bay set, where she is a key figure,” a source said. Phillips is pictured in Byron Bay with her friend Luciana Barroso, the wife of actor Matt Damon
Phillips is building celebrity connections as she attends star-studded events with her fiancé Paul O’Brien (second from left), who flies stars around Australia with his private jet company.
Phillips rubs shoulders with racing A-listers including Pia and Patrick Whitesell (centre)
Phillips was invited to the Hemsworths’ famous “white party” in May 2021, which was attended by a number of A-listers from Byron Bay’s elite, made up of Australian and American celebrities who live full- or part-time in the New South Wales coastal town. (Pictured: Guest poses for a group photo)
Phillips appears at center left with Elsa Pataky (left) and Luciana Barroso (center right).
Chris Hemsworth surprised Phillips on air when she was a weather presenter for Weekend Today in September 2020.
Jase and Lauren’s radio show got its ultimate revenge last month when it was crowned Melbourne’s most listened to breakfast radio show.
“The battle lines have already been drawn and at the moment Melbourne is not too impressed with what Kyle and Jackie O have achieved. These small victories could actually mean something,” the source added.
Jase and Lauren took home the coveted number one spot in GFK’s fifth radio poll for 2024. It increased its audience by 0.3 points and rose to a market share of 9.9 percent, giving it a clear lead over Kyle and Jackie O, who were significantly behind with a market share of 6.1 percent.
Despite initial hopes the KIIS FM provocateurs would replicate their number one hit in Sydney among Melbourne listeners, the duo are only the fifth most listened to breakfast show in the city.
O’Brien (centre) runs high-end charter group AVMIN, which counts celebrity clients including Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, as well as the Hemsworths.