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They were the radio powerhouse duo that dominated the airwaves, but this week officially marked the end of the Kyle & Jackie O Show on KIIS FM.

ARN announced that Kyle Sandilands' contract had been terminated and the radio show that made him and Jackie 'O' Henderson household names in Australia is permanently cancelled on the network.

Sandilands has since issued a lengthy statement deriding the decision. "I don't accept it," he said. "They sacked Jackie. They suspended me. They wouldn't even let me pick up the phone to call her." 

Watch: Is the Kyle and Jackie O split a publicity stunt? Post continues below.

Henderson has also threatened legal action against ARN for wrongful termination.

Of course, none of us may ever know what really happened between Kyle and Jackie O on February 20 when an on-air argument ended in ARN announcing that Sandilands had been suspended for "serious misconduct" and given two weeks to "remedy the breach". 

In his latest statement, Sandilands reduced the incident that started this as a simple "blue on air", which was the kind "we've done a hundred times in 25 years."

But there is clearly a disconnect between how Kyle and Jackie perceived this feud. I can understand both sides because I've experienced being both Kyle and Jackie on either side of this friendship fallout. 

For Kyle, he may have been harbouring resentments against Jackie for a long time. 

The argument started when Jackie read from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's astrology birth chart.

"You're off with the fairies ... every segment, every time you've spoken, you don't even know what's going on," Sandilands ranted to his co-host.

"You're not doing the rest of the job and everyone in this building has mentioned it to me… I'm not tiptoeing through this for another couple of weeks. It's affecting the whole sound of the program."

A bit harsh, hey? But what came across as a massive overreaction to Jackie's playful astrology chat was likely months in the making. 

Listen to The Quicky for more on the Kyle and Jackie O fallout. Post continues below.

I've been this friend who has been slowly taking stock of my friend's deficiencies.

While not in a work capacity – this has its own separate resentments to navigate – but over a period of a year, I noticed every time my friend forgot a huge life event, didn't make an effort to check in regularly or just seemed preoccupied with their own life. 

And then one day, I snapped. Like Kyle, I seemingly overreacted to something, perhaps just to passive-aggressively punish this person. 

Then, I was confronted with my friend cutting me off completely. 

Like me, it's unlikely that Kyle knew this was a step too far. In fact, he probably had no idea that he was detonating a ticking time bomb. 

And then there's Jackie's side.

Jackie has had to endure a lot of criticism from Kyle over the years. He said so himself that this kind of argument was commonplace for this duo. However, Kyle attacking her professionalism while on air clearly crossed a line.

"I would never say things like that about you. It's a total attack, it really is," she told him. 

"I come in here and I do my job and I do it well," Jackie added, as Kyle taunted "I wouldn't say that lately, no."

And with that cruel comment, Jackie reached her breaking point. I've been Jackie many times. I've remained loyal to a friend who is known for being crude and chaotic. I've defended that person and my reputation has been tainted for it. I've let a lot slide because I knew deep down that they're a good friend to me – even if no one else can see it. 

But it's a heavy burden to carry. It's a burden that comes with one condition: their friendship positives need to outweigh the negatives.

For Jackie, when her career was verbally attacked by her friend of two decades, this may have shifted the scales. 

And once that happens, there is no going back. 

Listen: The Radio Star reveals his contract has been terminated by KIIS FM parent company ARN following a 14-day suspension set by the radio station. Post continues below.

So who is left feeling worse? Based on my personal experience, it's Kyle. 

Shortly after their show was taken off the air, Kyle said in a statement he had tried to fix what he did.

"That same evening, I sent Jackie a message telling her I was sorry for anything I said that didn't go down well, that I love her and care for her, and that I could have handled it better. I meant every word of that, and I still do."

Kyle will likely regret how he handled things; he will potentially replay what happened over and over. Even if his points were valid, the way he communicated it – like my own outburst – came with an intention to hurt and humiliate his friend. 

For Jackie, time will eventually heal this wound and she will likely realise that she was closing a friendship chapter that was probably no longer serving her. 

But with a 10-year $200 million contract on the line, it's unlikely we've heard the last from this saga. If ARN's decision stands, this disagreement could cost Kyle and Jackie a lot more than their friendship. 

Tara Watson is a journalist, entertainment writer and pop culture critic. You can follow her here.

Feature Image: Instagram/@jackieo_official