Melbourne’s Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips did their first ever breakfast show for Nova FM on Friday – and it got off to a great start.
The duo’s recent resignation from KIIS FM to make way for The Kyle and Jackie O Show in Melbourne still seems like an open wound for the pair.
Early in the show, Jase lashed out at his former employers and his longtime friend and mentor Kyle Sandilands.
He told listeners he was ‘sting’ about The Jase and Lauren Show being replaced by a ‘networking from Sydney’ programme.
‘Melbourne deserves better… That’s how it was handled. And not just for us, but for everyone who worked on the show,” he said.
Melbourne’s Jase and Lauren did their first ever breakfast show for Nova FM on Friday – and the duo’s recent resignation from KIIS FM to make way for the Kyle and Jackie O Show still appears to be an open wound for the pair. (Both pictured)
Elsewhere in the segment, Jase revealed his pain at being dropped by ARN, owners of KIIS FM.
“It was quite personal for me, on a number of scales,” he said.
‘I had good friends who worked behind the scenes in my management. I knew people at the old radio station who were pretty high up. And yes, it was quite personal.
‘Last year it was a really bad feeling. It really was.’
Early in the show, Hawkins lashed out at his former employers as well as his longtime friend and mentor Kyle Sandilands. Pictured: Kyle Sandialnds with Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
Lauren seemed just as miffed as her on-air partner.
‘I think because it wasn’t discussed with us (the dismissal). It was like we were being talked about, but no one was talking to us…,” she said.
“So we were all kind of like no… Really?”
Meanwhile, Kyle took time out of his show on Thursday to hammer in the Jase and Lauren show and the new start at Nova.
He told listeners he was ‘stinged’ that the Jase and Lauren Show was being replaced by a ‘networking from Sydney’ program and that Melbourne deserved better.
Describing his old colleagues as delivering the ‘sh**est show in Melbourne’, Kyle said he ‘didn’t care’ and predicted The Kyle and Jackie O Show would ‘dominate’ the ratings in the future.
He also said Jase and Lauren regularly came ‘fourth or fifth’ in the ratings, when in fact their breakfast show was number two in the Melbourne survey.
Jase and Lauren recorded their last KIIS FM show on December 1.
In November, Sydney-based radio duo Kyle and Jackie ‘O’ signed a record-breaking 10-year, $200 million deal that will keep them on air until 2034.
At the time, an ARN spokesperson confirmed to Ny Breaking Australia that the deal for the Sydney duo meant their work friends Jase and Lauren were unemployed.
Jase and Lauren had their first show together in 2021, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Nova 100’s current breakfast team, Ben, Liam & Belle, will host a brand new national show, Late Drive, airing weekdays from 6pm to 8pm.
Kyle and Jackie O will announce the air date for their Melbourne launch on March 12.