Kyle and Jackie O move to Melbourne: Insider claims axed KIIS FM host Lauren Phillips ‘irritated’ listeners by name-dropping Hollywood friends like Chris Hemsworth and Matt Damon

EXCLUSIVE 

Newly axed radio presenter Lauren Phillips’ fondness for name-dropping her Hollywood friends rubbed listeners the wrong way, an industry insider has claimed.

The well-placed source spoke out overnight after Phillips’ KIIS FM Melbourne breakfast show Jase and Lauren – which she co-hosts with Jason Hawkins and Clint Stanaway – was dumped by parent company ARN to make way for a syndicated broadcast of Sydney’s ultra-popular Kyle and Jackie O, as part of a $200million deal.

While her fondness for discussing her A-list social circle wasn’t a factor in the show being axed, the insider told Daily Mail Australia she had long been ruffling feathers behind the scenes.

Phillips, 41, couldn’t seem to stop talking about her famous mates like Matt Damon, Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth, they claimed – and her casual Hollywood name-drops supposedly rubbed some listeners and industry bigwigs the wrong way.

‘Jase is a really good talent and people have warmed to him over the years but Lauren Phillips is more of a socialite,’ the radio insider said.

‘She is glamorous and hangs out with famous people. That doesn’t make for good radio.’

The source added: ‘It helps with a good name-drop, but after a while even that becomes tired. Irritating, in fact.’ 

They went on to claim ‘the radio gig was more of a flex’ for Phillips, and losing the coveted breakfast gig would primarily be ‘a hit to the ego’.

When contacted for comment on Wednesday night, an ARN spokesperson said there was ‘no truth’ to claims Phillips’ name-dropping was ever an issue.

Phillips is often spotted attending red carpet events and partying with the Hemsworth family and their wider circle of Hollywood friends – the most noteworthy being Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso.

Her social media accounts are filled with pictures of her A-list mates, whose names she likes to bring up on her Melbourne brekky show. 

Phillips was spotted hanging out with Damon and Hemsworth brothers Chris and Liam back in June when they threw a wild party in Mykonos, Greece. 

She and her fiancé Paul O’Brien – a private jet tycoon whose business caters to celebrities – danced the night away poolside alongside a Who’s Who of Hollywood, including Liam’s model girlfriend Gabriella Brooks and TV host Michele Merkin.

Only recently, Phillips spoke on air about Damon and Barroso’s unplanned appearance at Derby Day in Melbourne.

The Bourne Identity star and his wife had attended the Lexus Marquee as a guest of Phillips and O’Brien at Flemington Racecourse. 

After creating quite a buzz at the racing event, Phillips seized the opportunity to gloat over her friendship with the A-list actor. 

Days later, she recounted more race-day anecdotes with Damon and his wife on air, and revealed she also spent time with Chris Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataky.

She heaped praise on Damon, describing him as a down-to-earth guy who always has time for his fans.

‘A lot of people came [up] to him. But no, he’s a great sport. He’s happy to chat to anyone that wants to chat to him,’ Phillips said of the Oscar winner. 

She went on to say she spent the entire day with Damon and Barroso, described them as her ‘guests’, and boasted of taking them on a tour of Melbourne.

The group dined at one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants, Gimlet, and visited a karaoke bar, she said. 

The radio personality’s chronic name-dropping became a point of contention with SEN radio boss Craig Hutchison earlier this week when she defended Damon against reports he had been paid to attend the Melbourne Cup Carnival. 

Hutchison had speculated on The Sounding Board podcast that Damon had been a paid guest.

According to Hutchison, Phillips later texted his co-host Damian Barrett to inform him Damon ‘wasn’t paid a cent’ and told the media executive to ‘shut the beep up’. 

Hutchison has since hit back at Phillips on his podcast, reminding her she is not the first person to have a famous friend, nor does she have to do ‘PR’ for her mates.

‘You’re not the first person to have a famous friend – yeah, we know you know Matt Damon. Well done, congratulations, you know a famous person,’ he said.

‘You don’t need to reach out and remind us, as if you’re the PR flak defending whether he was or wasn’t paid,’ he added, before suggesting Phillips was desperate to be associated with Hollywood types.

‘Yeah, I know you’re in the shot, of course you’re in the shot, you don’t miss any shots,’ he said, referring to photographs of Phillips with Damon, Hemsworth, Pataky and actress Pia Whitesell in The Birdcage at Flemington.

Whitesell, formerly Pia Miller, is the wife of Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell, another American power player who attended the races this year.

Phillips was introduced to Damon by the Hemsworths several years ago and together they make up the elite Byron Bay set of Australian and U.S. celebrities who live either full- or part-time in the coastal NSW town.