Kyle Sandilands is well aware there is a certain expectation of what he will be like when he appears on screen in Australian Idol, sitting on the judging panel alongside singers Marcia Hines and Amy Shark.
Known for his bold and sometimes brash persona, the larger-than-life media personality is the judge everyone expects to call it as he sees it – dreams and feelings be damned. But this year, he admits things could be a little different.

“I caught myself with a tear in my eye the other day and I asked, ‘What is wrong with you?’” Sandilands admits to WHO with a laugh.
“I’m a changed man and have softened a lot since the baby, so I think the girls [on the panel] will give me a run for my money this year.”
Who is Kyle Sandilands wife?
Sandilands, 53, became a first-time father in August 2022, when his now wife, Tegan Kynaston, gave birth to Otto.
Since the arrival of their son, he has had to abide by a few new rules at home.

“Tegan’s banned me from swearing at the house and swearing in the car,” he says. “But fair enough, we don’t want the boy to pick up any of that s–t.”
While becoming a dad in his fifties was “life-changing”, Sandilands says he has relished the experience.
“I think I woke up one day and realised I’m 50, I’m not married, I don’t have kids and that’s just not going to be on the agenda for my life,” he explains. “But then I met the right one and Teegs said she did want those things, so if I didn’t, we needed to make some hard decisions about our relationship – and it only took me 10 seconds to know what I wanted. My bachelor days were over.”
Is Kyle Sandilands wife pregnant?
Their sweet little boy won’t be their last, either.
“Having a baby is hard work so no wonder everyone does it in their twenties, but we are trying to have another child,” he confirms. “We try not to focus too much on when, because it takes the romance out of it, but it is on the cards for this year.

“We’ve both got brothers, so we think it’ll be nice for Otto to have a little one, too,” he continues, adding with a chuckle, “Even though we’ve just gotten out of the last two-and-a-half years of hell.”
Of course, travelling the country to unearth musical talent during auditions for Idol provided Sandilands with a golden opportunity to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Does Kyle Sandilands get along with the other Idol judges?
In terms of this year’s crop of contestants, he reveals they might look a little different to past seasons of the reality singing competition.
“Last year, we had so many good country singers so I thought it’d just be all yodellers this time,” he says.

“But we’ve got pop, rock, some who know how to write and play instruments, and even some of these newer, younger artists doing some really different things that was a bit hard to get across the line with Marcia and Amy, but just like the world, music is evolving and changing, and we need to open our minds and stay relevant.
“These are the types of kids who’ve normally only had a chance to make a name for themselves on TikTok before, but it’s really cool and what people want to hear.”
As for his fellow judges, Sandilands says he loves working with the iconic Hines, 71, and singer-songwriter Shark, 38.
“We’re all friends outside of work,” he confirms. “I have a real respect for their talent and experiences and how they’ve worked hard to come up in the music world.”
Is Kyle Sandilands friends with Harry Connick Jr?
One person he doesn’t miss, though, is singer Harry Connick Jr., who joined the judging panel for one season in 2023 when the show premiered on Channel 7 after Network 10 put it on hiatus in 2009 then ultimately cancelled it.
To say the pair had differing opinions would be putting it very mildly.
“He’s an idiot,” Sandilands says. “I like him as an artist so I was disappointed with how arrogant and cocky he was.”
And with that, it appears fatherhood hasn’t made Sandilands completely lose his edge, after all.