Draft:Brooklyn Ross

Ross grew up in country New South Wales. He became involved in radio while still at school, including work experience at 2RG Griffith and volunteer work at Moruya community radio station 2EARFM.^[8][1]

He later worked at 2EC and Power FM on the Far South Coast, becoming a full-time journalist at the age of 18.^[1] Ross also worked in Canberra radio before moving to Sydney, with Radio Today reporting that he had worked at 2CC before joining KIIS.^[9]

Ross joined KIIS 106.5's breakfast program The Kyle and Jackie O Show in the mid-2010s. In November 2019, About Regional reported that he had spent five years on the program.^[1] A 2018 Radio Today report described him as the usual KIIS 106.5 breakfast newsreader when he filled in for Kyle Sandilands alongside Jackie Henderson.^[10]

In 2023, ARN Media expanded Ross's role to include news talent development while he continued his on-air duties with KIIS. Mediaweek reported that the role involved helping bring regional news talent into metropolitan radio markets.^[2]

Following the end of the Sandilands-Henderson broadcast partnership in 2026, ABC News and 9Celebrity described Ross as having worked on the program for more than a decade.^[11][3]

Ross founded OX Live, an online LGBT radio station. In 2013, Star Observer reported that OX Live, described as Sydney's only gay internet radio station, had moved into a live studio area at the Stonewall Hotel on Oxford Street, Sydney, and identified Ross as the station's founder.^[4] Radio Today later described the service as a network of app-based LGBTI radio stations in Australia, while Gay Nation reported that it had debuted in early 2012 and later expanded to include localised stations for Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.^[9][12]

In 2017, Independent Australia profiled Ross in connection with OX Live, describing the project as a growing online radio network operated alongside his radio news work.^[5]

Ross has also appeared in industry, television, radio and digital media settings. Selected appearances include:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ross received media attention for a video encouraging younger adults to consider the AstraZeneca vaccine. ABC Media Watch discussed the video in 2021 and identified him as a KIIS newsreader.^[22] Radio Today later reported that ABC Media Watch had praised Ross, Kyle Sandilands and Ray Hadley for helping reduce vaccine hesitancy.^[23]

Ross has been named in wider media coverage of The Kyle and Jackie O Show. In 2022, Sandilands' comments about gay men and mpox were later investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. The Guardian Australia reported that the comments referred to Ross and his vaccination status, while ABC Media Watch included Ross's on-air response in its coverage of the segment. The ACMA found that the broadcast breached decency rules under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice.^[24][25][26]

In March 2026, ABC News reported that Sandilands had hosted the program with Ross while Jackie Henderson was absent, shortly before the end of the Sandilands-Henderson broadcast partnership.^[11] After the show's end, 7NEWS quoted Ross's public comments about his time on the program, in which he described being part of the show as one of the greatest privileges of his career.^[27]

Subsequent media coverage identified Ross as part of the continuing KIIS breakfast team after Sandilands and Henderson were taken off air. In April 2026, news.com.au reported that KIIS FM remained Sydney's top-rating FM breakfast station in the first radio ratings survey after the pair's departure, with the breakfast program hosted by fill-in presenters alongside Ross and Intern Pete Deppeler. 9Celebrity also reported the result as an unexpected ratings win for KIIS Breakfast, while Radioinfo Australia reported the Survey 2, 2026 results for Commercial Radio Australia.^[28][29][30]

In May 2026, Mediaweek reported that KIIS FM was continuing to reshape its breakfast programming after the end of The Kyle and Jackie O Show, with Ross remaining one of the familiar on-air names from the former program's team.^[31]

Ross became engaged to Damien Dirienzo in September 2024.^[32][33] The couple married later that month in Las Vegas. The wedding was covered by 9Celebrity, which reported that Kyle Sandilands walked Ross down the aisle.^[34] The ceremony was also broadcast as part of The Kyle and Jackie O Show podcast coverage.^[35]