Lauren Phillips has broken her silence on the rivalry between her and KIIS FM Jackie O’ Henderson, insisting there is “no bad blood” between the two radio stars.
Speaking frankly to stellar magazine This week, Phillips, 42, addressed ongoing speculation surrounding their professional relationship.
Despite rumors circulating about her urging her friends to stay away from Henderson’s radio show, Phillips said, “I don’t know Jackie well, but I’ve always found her really charming.” I’ve said hello in passing (before) and there’s no hard feelings between us.’
He acknowledged the competitive nature of the industry but downplayed any suggestion of animosity.
‘I found the conversation about the radio wars really interesting. Obviously, we are all competing, but I have had a lot of support from the industry,” he said, making it clear that the so-called rivalry has been exaggerated.
Phillips, co-host of the Jase & Lauren show on Nova 100 in Melbourne, admitted that while there may be some tension due to their shared workspace, she wasn’t going to let it stop her from being professional.
In fact, he recalled a recent encounter with Henderson that seemed to have others on edge.
“I could see everyone in the club saying, ‘Oh my God, they’re both here,'” he said, laughing at the perceived tension between them.
Lauren Phillips (pictured) has broken her silence on the rivalry between her and KIIS FM Jackie O’ Henderson, insisting there is “no bad blood” between the two radio stars.
Speaking to Stellar magazine this week, Phillips, 42, addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding their professional relationship. (Pictured: Jackie O with co-star Kyle Sandilands)
However, instead of avoiding each other, Phillips took the opportunity to set the record straight and casually chatted with Henderson.
“I wasn’t raised that way,” he told Stellar, dismissing the idea of any confrontation.
Phillips, who has built a strong listener base with co-hosts Jase Hawkins and Clint Stanaway, is no stranger to dramatic radio shows.
Despite rumors circulating about her urging her friends to stay away from Henderson’s radio show, Phillips said, “I don’t know Jackie well, but I’ve always found her really charming.” I have said hello in passing (before), and there is no bad blood between us.’
Last year, their trio was shaken when their show’s parent company, ARN, gave them the option to hang up their microphones after just a year on the air.
But rather than quietly walk away, Phillips and his team decided to bare their hearts on air, openly discussing their fears for the future amid the humor and light-hearted banter of their show.
It comes after it was claimed Phillips had been asking his A-list friends – names like Matt Damon and Zac Efron – to stay away from interviews with KIIS FM’s top presenters.
It comes after a recent revelation from an inside source about Phillip’s campaign against rival sportsmen Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson (pictured).
Despite already dominating Melbourne’s radio ratings, the Nova host is reportedly doing everything she can to ensure her show remains the go-to destination for celebrity interviews.
A source revealed that Phillips has ‘begged his famous friends’ to turn down interview offers from Kyle and Jackie O, particularly focusing on preventing the Sydney-based duo from gaining access to the Byron Bay celebrity circle, of which Phillips is a key player.
‘She asked them to say no to KIIS for the next few months. “The plan is to prevent Kyle and Jackie O from gaining access to the Byron Bay set, of which she is an important part,” a source said. Australia Daily Mail.
“If Lauren can get these stars to reject Kyle and Jackie O, that’s a huge plus. Especially since KIIS is proud to be the home of Hollywood stars.
Kyle and Jackie O bill themselves as the radio show with “money, cars and stars,” but their Nova rival Lauren (pictured with co-host Jason Hawkins) is determined to keep the stars as close as possible. as far as possible from KIIS FM.
‘Kyle and Jackie O has really been the only radio show on the market to consistently feature A-list guests up to this point.
“But Lauren’s genuine connections to the Byron Bay celebrity set could be a threat to their monopoly if she can convince the Hemsworths and all their friends to boycott KIIS.”
The source revealed that Phillips continued to build new celebrity contacts while attending star-studded events with her fiancé Paul O’Brien, who flies stars around Australia with his private jet business.
For example, he recently attended the wedding of personal trainer Luke Zocchi, Chris Hemsworth’s best friend and right-hand man..
A source revealed that Phillips has ‘begged his famous friends’ to turn down interview offers from Kyle and Jackie O. Phillips is networking with celebrities while attending star-studded events with fiancé Paul O’Brien (second from left ).
O’Brien runs high-end charter group AVMIN, which has celebrity clients including Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, as well as the Hemsworths.
“Lauren has been smart about mingling with Hollywood heavyweights and I bet she’ll network like crazy to make these stars ‘friends of the show,'” the source said.
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Phillips denied that she had personally requested her famous friends not to appear on The Kyle and Jackie O Show..
Phillips was invited to the Hemsworths’ famous ‘white party’ in May 2021, which was attended by a who’s who of Byron Bay’s elite group of Australian and American celebrities who live full or part-time in the coastal town of New South Wales. (Pictured: guest poses for a group photo)
Jase and Lauren’s radio show had ultimate revenge last month when it was crowned Melbourne’s most listened to breakfast radio show.
“The battle lines are already drawn and at this point Melbourne is not very 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. Their audience increased by 0.3 points and increased to a 9.9 percent share, giving him a clear lead over Kyle and Jackie O, who were far behind with a 6.1 percent share.
Despite initial hopes that the KIIS FM provocateurs would replicate their Sydney number one hit with Melbourne listeners, the duo are only the city’s fifth most listened to breakfast show.
Read more in this week’s issue of Stellar Magazine
