Ben Fordham on the 'very personal question' Kyle Sandilands asked Jackie 'O' Henderson that hinted at their relationship breakdown

Ben Fordham has again weighed in on the Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson drama, claiming he saw the writing on the wall well before their shock fallout.

The former radio duo are currently embroiled in separate lawsuits against their former employer ARN after they were terminated following their now-infamous on-air spat in February.

Appearing on the Bonafide with Luke Bona podcast recently, Fordham said that he saw the writing on the wall over a year earlier.

'I remember listening one day about a year and a half ago where Kyle Sandilands said to Jackie O Henderson: "You're not listening to me any more",' Fordham explained.

'And she said: "Yeah, you're probably right, because I've heard it all before, Kyle".'

This proved to be a very telling clue for the radio veteran, as at that moment, he realised the show was no longer 'fun' for Henderson and Sandilands. 

'I remember hearing a few of those things thinking: "It stopped being a bit fun",' he said.

Fordham also recalled another on-air exchange between the pair that involved an uncomfortable conversation about sex, which caused Jackie to bristle.

'He [Sandilands] asked Jackie a very personal question about whether she'd done something before,' he said.

'She said: "I think I've given up enough of my personal life on this show, Kyle."

'That was another moment where I heard it and went: "Ooh."' 

Continuing, Fordham said that he believed the crux of the pair's fallout was that Henderson 'outgrew' her former co-star. 

'I think Jackie grew as a human being,' he said.

'She got interested in self-help, meditation, bit of yoga, bit of astrology, and good on her, she lost all the weight. She looks a million dollars.

'I think she became a healthier version of herself. And I think Kyle probably struggled with that a little bit, seeing her develop while he was still stuck where he was.'  

It's not the first time that Fordham has weighed in on the drama.

Fordham appeared on the Behind the Mic with Mike E podcast last month. The 2GB breakfast host claimed the pair's eye-watering contract played a part in the show's demise.

Sandilands and Henderson signed a whopping 10-year $200 million contract with ARN in 2023.

'I just wonder how much that big 10-year deal played a part,' he said.

Fordham added that upon hearing the news of the landmark deal, he knew immediately that it would end badly, and that the decade-long deal was potentially more like a millstone for the pair.

'When it was announced, I was actually walking the dog with my wife, Jodie, and I said to her immediately, "Kyle and Jackie O's 10-year deal, that's gonna end badly,"' he said.

'The way I explained it to Jodie was, imagine waking up and thinking to yourself, "Okay, just nine and a half more years."'

He also suggested that the formidable sum may have affected the quality of The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

'I think when you throw enough cash in front of people's faces, their vision can be blurred. They can't see what the rest of us can see,' he said.

'A lot of people have seen what's going on with the show. It's lost a bit of fun… I've heard it in my ears.'

However, Fordham added that he believed it was the pair's unsuccessful move to Melbourne that was a major catalyst for the split.

'The move to Melbourne was catastrophic,' he said, adding that ARN execs knew at the time that they were facing an insurmountable battle.

'I suppose if they're paying them so much money, they needed to justify in their head that spend so they got rid of Jase [Hawkins] Lauren [Phillips], and Clint [Stanaway] in Melbourne who were doing a really good show for KIIS,' he said.

Fordham then took a not-so-subtle dig at his former radio rivals.

'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 beat them seven out of eight surveys last year,' he said.