Radio presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson's deleted podcast has become a new point of contention in her Federal Court legal battle with Australian Radio Network.
New court documents allege that Henderson removed a February 4 episode of her Her Best Life podcast in late July or early August, alongside all previously released episodes.
In the February 4 episode, Henderson and her co-host Gemma O'Neill, who also serves as her manager, discussed several realisations Henderson had experienced around Christmas and New Year.
According to ARN, Henderson revealed to O'Neill during the recording that she suddenly knew what decisions she needed to make in her life, including whether to cut ties with someone and make a career change.
ARN is using the deleted conversation to argue that Henderson was already planning changes to her career before her dramatic fallout with long-time co-host Kyle Sandilands on February 20.
Henderson and Sandilands co-hosted The Kyle and Jackie O Show for more than two decades, becoming one of Australia's highest-profile FM radio breakfast teams. ARN, one of the country's major commercial broadcasting networks, operated the show until the pair's abrupt split.
Podcast deletion raised in contract dispute
The February 4 podcast episode was released 16 days before the February 20 incident that triggered the collapse of the breakfast radio program.
ARN further claims that Henderson had decided by February 23 to work on another show at a different time of day.
Lawyers for Henderson later formally complained to ARN regarding her workplace treatment, stating she could no longer work alongside Sandilands. Her legal team indicated she was willing to remain with ARN provided the company assigned her an alternative broadcast timeslot.
ARN contends that Henderson was effectively trying to escape her contractual obligation to co-host the breakfast show with Sandilands.
The media company claims the podcast was deleted after ARN had already raised its contents during court proceedings. ARN is asking the Federal Court to view the deletion as an admission that the material was relevant or damaging to Henderson's legal position.
The Federal Court of Australia resolves major commercial and employment disputes, including high-value contract claims between media organisations and broadcast talent.
Medical report details PTSD diagnosis
The broader court case centres on Henderson's lucrative broadcasting contract, which ARN terminated on March 3. Henderson is suing ARN, while the network has launched a counterclaim alleging that Henderson and her company indicated they would no longer deliver contracted services. The Federal Court has not yet determined either side's allegations.
Court documents filed and released on Tuesday revealed that Henderson's doctor diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from her time working with Sandilands. Henderson is seeking an $82 million payout from ARN in the legal action.
The mental health diagnosis was detailed in a medical report by Dr Jonathan Phillips, who stated that Henderson "is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder arising as a result of 'the ongoing bullying perpetrated by Sandilands' and 'the failure of ARN to offer appropriate care and protection.'"
In an additional sworn statement, Henderson stated that she was "belittled" and "humiliated" by her "unpredictable and erratic" former co-host.
"I felt that the constant attacking of my character and putting me down at work by Mr Sandilands was slowly wearing me down," Henderson said in the statement. "I felt exhausted and like I wanted to give up. I felt like this treatment was happening in subtle ways but regularly. It felt like bullying."
Henderson added that the treatment worsened from 2023 onwards and left her feeling anxious. "I often drove to work with a low level sense of anxiety and dread, which caused me to feel worn down over time," she said. "The cumulative effect was that I felt emotionally unsafe in the workplace, even during periods where the relationship appeared outwardly positive."
