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Inherited

Behind the scenes of Kyle and Jackie O with Mitch Churi

22 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What insights does Mitch Churi share about his time on the Kyle and Jackie O show?

0.031 - 10.7 Ruby Hall

I'm so excited for this chat. Oh my God, stop. I'm nervous. I've heard stories about working for Kyle and Jack and like, and I've seen on social with some of the insane things that happened in that studio over the years.

0

10.72 - 16.015 Mitch Churi

So I was, I was with women. I was dating women exclusively. That was the only acting I was doing, I guess.

0

16.282 - 17.785 Ruby Hall

How did you find out you were being cheated on?

0

17.845 - 19.487 Mitch Churi

So do you think about these things or does it come to you?

0

20.008 - 20.749 Ruby Hall

That just came to me.

20.769 - 22.693 Mitch Churi

You're Oprah. You were this generation's Oprah.

22.713 - 23.654 Ruby Hall

Sorry, I'm not.

23.674 - 28.242 Mitch Churi

You're so good. Well, here's an exclusive. Shameless media exclusive. Kyle would have.

28.723 - 43.148 Monica Vantilburg

Hello. You might not recognise my voice because, well, I am not Ruby Hall. She, the lucky duck, is over in Europe on annual leave at the moment. That means that during this ep, I, Monica Van Tilburg, producer of the show, will be voicing a few ad reads.

Chapter 2: How did Mitch navigate his identity after being made redundant from KIIS?

126.781 - 128.824 Ruby Hall

But before that, even you were in New York acting. Yes.

0

128.804 - 148.888 Mitch Churi

I was, yeah. I moved to New York when I was 19. Yeah. I did the whole uni system in Australia, went to the UOW, University of Wollongong, shout out. And it wasn't for me, that kind of, that sort of like tertiary education, sit down, study, modules, trimester, it just didn't work for my brain. Like I really struggled. Yeah.

0

148.868 - 155.259 Ruby Hall

I think a lot of creative people can find it a bit challenging. I don't know if challenging is the right word, but it's just not really the way that we work and produce.

0

155.42 - 169.164 Mitch Churi

No, but like I actually thought I had a problem. Like I had to go to tutoring. I was a Kumon kid. Like I just, it didn't compute. And it's odd because the way we like learn in school is like, well, there's intelligence and then there's stupidity. But it's actually so much more nuanced than that.

0

169.184 - 189.709 Mitch Churi

You know, like I don't think I'm not an intelligent person, but I struggled the way that I was being taught. So I went to New York, studied theatre, had a beautiful supportive send-off from my parents. I was meant to go for two years. I did half of my degree at the Atlantic Theatre Company and then came back and got a job at Kiss FM on the street team and never went back, just never stopped.

189.689 - 194.337 Ruby Hall

So you were there when you were 19 in New York and you were acting. Were you at an acting school or doing auditions?

194.357 - 195.579 Mitch Churi

Yeah, no, I was at an acting school.

195.839 - 199.785 Ruby Hall

And what was that like for you then when Mitch was 19? Oh, my God. In New York, in the Big Apple.

199.826 - 209.801 Mitch Churi

I was straight. So I was with women. I was dating women exclusively. Okay. Real fun time. That was the only acting I was doing, I guess. I've never made that joke before. That's funny.

Chapter 3: What challenges did Mitch face in his first serious relationship?

270.463 - 274.049 Ruby Hall

And you started at Kiss. Yeah. You were with Carl and Jack for 10 years.

0

274.069 - 290.435 Mitch Churi

Yeah, I was the only station I worked at. Yeah. So I wanted to be – it was funny. I didn't even really want to be an actor, Ruby. I wanted to just be in the entertainment space. Like I loved Rove. I would watch – David Letterman would play on Channel 10 after Rove and it was a late night.

0

290.715 - 308.982 Mitch Churi

And I was this 13-year-old kid who was so up to date with American politics because that's all David Letterman was. So I was just this kid watching so obsessed with this format and I knew I wanted to do something similar. So acting kind of felt – this was, you know, 2014, 2015. So it was a different time. Like there wasn't content creation. No. It was like stand-up acting. Yeah.

0

308.962 - 328.837 Mitch Churi

That's kind of really it. So that's what I wanted to do. But in my head, radio was my fallback because I had at 13, probably can't find this anywhere, I had a segment on Hamish and Andy called Mitch's Wise Words or something stupid. Kevin Rudd was the prime minister and he was using taxpayer dollars to fund an au pair for his child.

0

329.358 - 335.881 Mitch Churi

And Hamish and Andy were saying, save the taxpayer's dollars, we'll babysit your kid. Oh. Right? Classic radio.

335.901 - 336.142

Yeah.

336.262 - 353.343 Mitch Churi

And they were in the car going, 13, 1060. Yeah. Call us if you're a kid. How can we write this letter to the Prime Minister to connect to his child? So I'm like, I'm 13. You got through. You got through the phone line and helped U12. I was so arrogant and cocky and cheeky and they loved it. You know, you're a radio producer.

353.463 - 353.864 Monica Vantilburg

Yes.

354.144 - 363.279 Mitch Churi

And I now know that the dream, this cheeky, cute kid. Get him on. Get him on. Put him on. So then they'd get me back when there was a movie out or to review, I don't know, Stuart Little or something stupid.

Chapter 4: What role does Mitch's rabbit's foot play in his life and confidence?

393.995 - 410.59 Mitch Churi

I don't know if I can text him. I think he's still a latte with two. That's his coffee. And Jackie was an espresso. She didn't like the coffee machine. So Jackie, I had to have the coffee machine on the rooftop, then run down and make Jackie an espresso with a pod. It was a whole thing. But then all the crew get coffees.

0

410.63 - 414.298 Mitch Churi

I was making, you know, 30, 40 coffees a day and I'd never made a coffee in my life.

0

414.363 - 417.729 Ruby Hall

And then after that, you got your own show eventually after a few years, didn't you?

0

417.929 - 422.958 Mitch Churi

It was a late night show. Well, actually what happened first was I started there on the street team, like promotions crew.

0

422.978 - 427.667 Ruby Hall

I was in the street team. Yeah. In the D-Max driving around. God knows how they let me behind the wheel.

427.687 - 430.752 Mitch Churi

I was in a Jeep Wrangler, that thing with red P plates on.

430.732 - 431.833 Ruby Hall

Like, what the hell?

431.853 - 432.114 Mitch Churi

I know.

432.534 - 435.497 Ruby Hall

Wait, you put the pee plates on. I was on my pee.

Chapter 5: How did Mitch transition from radio to hosting The Mitch Churi Chat Show?

531.476 - 547.145 Mitch Churi

I can be way more. But sure, I can be Hamlet if you want me to. And then so I get down on my knees and I go, and I start clucking in front of the whole Kyle and Jackie O crew. And then they laugh and then they kind of start talking about the next day's show and I'm like, do I go now? They're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, get out of here.

0

547.165 - 566.365 Mitch Churi

And then the next week, so within a month of being on the street team, I had a segment called The Cash Cock on the Kyle and Jackie O show. It was a piss take of The Cash Cow. And I was a rooster with like 10 grand strapped to me and whatever tradie or whoever could tackle me to the ground first, Kyle and Jackie would go, the cock's loose in Borkham Hills. And then go, cock, go.

0

566.385 - 566.865 Mitch Churi

And I go, I'm in the

0

566.845 - 581.568 Ruby Hall

Borgham Hills. And you'd go off on the street and be with the street team. Correct. So many, oh, my God, gigs and radio are just so interesting. And I've heard stories about working for Kyle and Jack. Yeah. And I've seen on social some of the insane things that happened in that studio. Oh, God.

0

581.588 - 601.155 Mitch Churi

Oh, my God. Over the years. I think I've signed too many things at this point to even really admit what happened. But I genuinely loved it. Yeah. For me, and you're a radio nerd too, I suspect, but I admired SNL and I lived in New York, so I wanted to be on that SNL 30 rock trajectory. So for me, this was my little take on it.

601.315 - 601.536

Yeah.

601.736 - 618.958 Mitch Churi

Like working in ARN under Kyle and Jackie O, this was 2015. Like they were it. Yes. And it was everything to me and I just got to do whatever. I got paid to do it. I was on air. All my friends and family listened to that show. So for me to be on that show was like a tick of approval. Oh, absolutely.

618.938 - 625.265 Ruby Hall

Absolutely. I mean, you start on the street team and you go up that way and you've worked your way up all of those years. It takes a lot of grit as well.

627.848 - 645.267 Monica Vantilburg

Between work, social commitments and squeezing in the occasional Pilates class, life moves quickly. Sometimes we're too busy to notice the small signals our bodies are giving us. But a few restless nights, a drop in energy levels or a stressful week, these things can creep up and affect us more than we realise.

Chapter 6: What was Mitch's experience like when interviewing celebrities?

689.493 - 704.042 Monica Vantilburg

If you'd love to look deeper into your health, keep on top of stress or sleep, or even just track your cycle, check out the Aura Ring at auraring.com. That's O-U-R-A. And a huge thank you to Aura Ring for supporting this episode of Inherited.

0

710.283 - 720.414 Ruby Hall

You then had, is it Mitch Till Midnight? Was that the show that you interviewed, like, a lot of big celebrities on? You've had, like, Jubileepa. Yeah. One that stands out to me and I just can't get over is the viral video of you and Miley Cyrus.

0

720.434 - 721.835 Mitch Churi

Well, thanks for bringing that up.

0

721.855 - 725.319 Ruby Hall

Oh, no. It's so funny, though. Yeah, it is funny. How do you feel about it?

0

725.339 - 726.1 Mitch Churi

Oh, I think it's funny.

726.22 - 733.748 Ruby Hall

I mean, you know. But, like, I know what it's like. I mean, I haven't interviewed big people like that before, but it's obviously really nerve-wracking when you're about to interview someone like that.

733.828 - 751.392 Mitch Churi

Yeah. So Mitch till midnight was, I was on air. It was so funny because I was on the street team. I had the cash cock and it's sort of like my, my star in radio is rising. So I was like, I've got leverage. So I want a late night show. And I got a late night show exactly a year to the day that I started a kiss. And I caught it Mitch till midnight. It was nine till 12.

751.873 - 771.808 Mitch Churi

And, uh, then what happens with that? It's a late night music show. You start getting music interviews. Um, So this Miley Cyrus moment was at the start of COVID and I got a 4 a.m. interview with Miley for the new album, Plastic Hearts, and it was on Zoom. And this was like early days of Zoom, like pre. We didn't know how to use it. No. I don't know what a breakout room was.

772.108 - 775.595 Ruby Hall

Yeah, especially in studios when you're on air. It's complicated.

Chapter 7: How did Mitch find love again after heartbreak?

844.409 - 864.415 Mitch Churi

So this video is on socials. It lives on the internet. And then Miley has to, after, it would have been a good 45 seconds to a minute, just goes, hello? I'm like, oh, hi, Miley. How are you? And then I started the interview, had 10 minutes, and then the eight minutes started, so I got 20 minutes. Oh, great. And they were like, you just got a 20-minute exclusive with Miley. And she was fine?

0

864.455 - 867.34 Mitch Churi

Yeah, she was amazing. She was great. It was a good interview.

0

867.36 - 870.485 Ruby Hall

That video was hilarious. It's got, like, over a million views online.

0

870.505 - 871.868 Mitch Churi

Yeah, I've republished it a few times, yeah.

0

872.148 - 885.667 Ruby Hall

Did you also do a chemistry test with Tony Lodge at one point? Yeah, I did. Yeah, tell me about that. I was researching. And I love Tony. She's been on Inherited and she's like a friend of like us at Shameless Media or everyone in the industry. An absolute legend.

885.707 - 901.251 Mitch Churi

Yeah, we love Tony. Tony was on my – yeah, I produced a night show on Kiss at some point called Celeb HQ. Yeah. And she writes about it in her book. And she was the audio producer and I was the executive producer. So we worked hand in hand and we were – thick as thieves.

901.311 - 917.697 Mitch Churi

She'd just moved to Sydney and she didn't know anyone, didn't know anyone in the Sydney industry and was a fish out of water and was struggling a bit. So me and Torbz, her boyfriend, we went to her house, they cooked me tacos. We really got along like a house on fire and we naturally thought I wanted to be on air, so did she. Let's demo together.

918.238 - 925.268 Mitch Churi

And they just, for whatever reason, didn't get off the ground. I think we were too similar in a sense. Yes. We were both kind of.

925.569 - 927.252 Ruby Hall

You need a different energy sometimes. Yeah.

Chapter 8: What lessons has Mitch learned about self-acceptance and growth?

972.06 - 990.643 Mitch Churi

Yeah. And it just came out of nowhere for me. So I was really emotional, yeah. Like I loved that job. That's all I ever wanted to do as a kid. And, like, it hurt me. And they gave me the option. The moment I was made redundant, they actually put a meeting in my calendar with me and my executive producer, Grace, who I do the chat show with now. Yeah.

0

990.663 - 1008.453 Mitch Churi

And I was like, we'll be fine because Grace is in this. So if it's – you know. And there were no redundancies happening. It was a chill period. This was before everything now that's happened with the Kyle and Jackie O show, right? Yes. So – We were walking towards this meeting and my boss was being really odd that whole day.

0

1009.095 - 1026.768 Mitch Churi

And I remember I said something to him the month before, it was someone's anniversary. And then I go, you know, it's 10 years for me at the end of the year. And he goes, no, it's not, it's seven. And I'm like, no, it's definitely 10. He goes, no, it's seven. And I'm like, oh, it's 10. And I'm like, why does he know it's – why does he think it's seven? That's such a weird thing to say.

0

1026.788 - 1046.016 Mitch Churi

We're friends. And it made me – when I got the whole redundancy thing, they're like, you've been here seven years. But they weren't counting the casual years of three – I was on air, but I was still a casually employed employee. So it was so funny that he knew that because he was working out my redundancy. So that's why he was able to quit back so quickly. But, yeah, I cried. It was awful.

0

1046.136 - 1050.402 Mitch Churi

Like that's the only job I'd ever had other than working at Coles for nine months.

1050.483 - 1070.083 Ruby Hall

It's just so inhumane redundancies. And I understand it's business at the end of the day, right? But it's just so quick that this happens. And from working in the radio industry and seeing friends lose jobs too over the years, it's obviously so fickle. At the time, Kyle and Jack signed off on the $200 million deal. Contract. Yeah. Yeah. What do you make of their fallout earlier this year?

1070.304 - 1074.511 Mitch Churi

Oh, it's insane, isn't it? I mean, so many great people that work on that show.

1074.531 - 1074.791 Ruby Hall

Yeah.

1075.072 - 1090.899 Mitch Churi

And so many of my friends work on that show. I worked on that show. And it was an institution. It was brilliant. I've worked with them both. They've both been very good to me over my career. But I think the contract, when media is at the tricky point that it's at, especially especially radio. I think radio needs to be reinvented.

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