Alert – Lauren Phillips insists there’s ‘no bad blood’ with rival Jackie O’ Henderson despite urging famous friends to avoid doing any interviews with radio show

Lauren Phillips has broken her silence about the rivalry between herself and KIIS FM  Jackie O’ Henderson, insisting there’s ‘no bad blood’ between the two radio stars.

Speaking candidly to Stellar Magazine this week, Phillips, 42, addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding their professional relationship.

Despite rumours swirling about her urging friends to steer clear of Henderson’s radio show, Phillips said, ‘I don’t know Jackie well, but I’ve always found her to be really lovely. I’ve said hello in passing [before], and there’s no bad blood between us.’

She acknowledged the competitive nature of the industry but played down any suggestion of animosity.

‘I’ve found the radio wars conversation really interesting. Obviously, we’re all in competition, but I’ve had so much support from the industry,’ she said, making it clear that the so-called rivalry has been blown out of proportion.

Phillips, who co-hosts 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 that prevent her from being professional.

In fact, she recalled a recent encounter with Henderson that seemed to have others on edge.

‘I could see everyone in the club going, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re both here,’ she said, laughing at the perceived tension between them.

Lauren Phillips (pictured) has broken her silence about the rivalry between herself and KIIS FM Jackie O’ Henderson, insisting there’s ‘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 clear the air, casually chatting with Henderson.

‘That’s not the way I was raised,’ she told Stellar, brushing off the idea of any confrontation.

Phillips, who has garnered a strong listener base with co-hosts Jase Hawkins and Clint Stanaway, is no stranger to radio show drama.

Despite rumours swirling about her urging friends to steer clear of Henderson’s radio show, Phillips said, ‘I don’t know Jackie well, but I’ve always found her to be really lovely. I’ve said hello in passing [before], and there’s no bad blood between us’

Last year, their trio was rocked when ARN, the parent company of their show, gave them the option to hang up their mics after just a year on air.

But instead of walking away quietly, Phillips and her team decided to bare their hearts on air, openly discussing their fears for the future amid the humour and light-hearted banter of their show.

It comes after claims Phillips has been reportedly been asking her A-list friends—names like Matt Damon and Zac Efron—to steer clear of interviews with KIIS FM’s top hosts.

It comes after an insider recently revelation of Phillip’s campaign against rival shock jocks Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson (pictured) 

Despite already dominating the Melbourne radio ratings, the Nova presenter is reportedly pulling out all the stops to ensure her show remains the go-to destination for celebrity interviews.

An insider revealed that Phillips has ‘pleaded with her famous friends’ to refuse interview offers from Kyle and Jackie O, focusing particularly on keeping the Sydney-based duo from gaining access to the Byron Bay celebrity circle—of which Phillips is a key player.

‘She’s asked them to say no to KIIS for the next few months. The plan is to block Kyle and Jackie O from gaining access to the Byron Bay set – of which she is a major player,’ an insider told Daily Mail .

‘If Lauren can get these stars to turn down Kyle and Jackie O, that is a big advantage. Especially since KIIS prides itself on being the home of Hollywood stars.

Kyle and Jackie O bill themselves as the radio show with ‘cash, cars and stars’ – but their Nova rival Lauren (pictured with her co-host Jason Hawkins) is determined to keep the stars as far away from KIIS FM as possible

‘Kyle and Jackie O has really been the only radio show in the market to boast A-list guests consistently until this point.

‘But Lauren’s genuine connections to Byron Bay celebrity crew could be a threat to their monopoly if she can convince the Hemsworths and all their friends to boycott KIIS.’

The source revealed Phillips was continuing to build new contacts with A-listers while attending star-studded events with her fiancé Paul O’Brien, who flies stars all over 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.

An insider revealed that Phillips has ‘pleaded with her famous friends’ to refuse interview offers from Kyle and Jackie O. Phillips is building contacts with A-listers while attending star-studded events with her fiancé Paul O’Brien (second from left)

O’Brien runs the high-end aviation charter group AVMIN which boasts celebrity clients such as Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, as well as the Hemsworths.

‘Lauren has been smart to mix with the Hollywood heavyweights and I bet she’ll be networking like crazy to make these stars ‘friends of the show’,’ the source said.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Phillips denied she had personally solicited her famous friends to not appear on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Phillips was a guest at the Hemsworths’ famous ‘white party’ in May 2021, which was attended by a Who’s Who of the elite Byron Bay set comprising n and U.S. celebrities who live either full- or part-time in the coastal NSW town. (Pictured: the guest pose for a group photo)

The Jase and Lauren radio show had the ultimate revenge last month when it was crowned Melbourne’s most listened-to breakfast radio program.

‘The battle lines have been drawn and at this point Melbourne has been less than impressed with what Kyle and Jackie O have delivered. These small wins actually could mean something,’ the source added.

Jase and Lauren took home the coveted number one spot in the fifth GFK radio survey for 2024. It grew its audience by 0.3 points and rose to a 9.9 per cent share, giving it a clear lead over Kyle and Jackie O, which trailed significantly with a 6.1 per cent share.

Despite initial hopes the KIIS FM provocateurs would replicate their No. 1 success in Sydney 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