The talent agency owned by Jackie ‘O’ Henderson’s manager and longtime friend, Gemma O’Neill, has collapsed reportedly owing more than half a million dollars.
Administrators are currently pursuing O’Neill after her talent management business, Gemmie Agency, went into voluntary liquidation in November.
The bulk of the debts, $543,548 is owed to the Australian Tax Office, with another $3,300 fee owed to small business firm, Jack Lawrence Accountants and Advisors.
Administrators from Grant Thornton Australia (GTA) said debts incurred by O’Neill’s agency was a significant discrepancy to a seven-figure commission paid to the agency by an unnamed ‘key client’ between October 2023 and March 2024.
The GTA’s statutory creditors’ report also revealed Gemmie Agency invoiced one ‘high-value’ client for $1,042,505.01 on February 21, 2024, reports news.com.au.
Transfers totalling $788,125 were paid against the director’s loan account in late 2023, whilst the remaining $254,480 was paid in cash installments over seven days in early March 2024.
Having determined the $788,125 payment to O’Neill’s agency was not supported by any documented loan agreement, administrators are now pursuing her for the full sum.
On February 20, O’Neill informed the administrators she couldn’t make any repayment contributions, noting she has no available personal savings, limited income and had failed to refinance her beachside apartment in Sydney.
Jackie O’s manager and best friend, Gemma O’Neill (left) owes the taxpayer over $543,000
O’Neill (pictured hosting an episode of the Her Best Life podcast) has informed administrators she cannot make any repayment contributions
Interestingly, it was the same day O’Neill’s star client, Jackie O, fought with her KIIS FM radio partner, Kyle Sandilands, in that infamous argument about her being ‘away with the fairies’, that later saw the duo being taken off the airwaves permanently and their $100 million contracts torn up.
The Kyle and Jackie O Show was officially axed 11 days later in a dramatic announcement by the radio station’s owner, ARN Media.
O’Neill’s legal troubles come as Jackie O fights a wrongful termination suit against ARN, after she told executives she couldn’t ‘continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands’ following his harsh on–air comments.
The duo’s joint venture, Besties Australia Pty Ltd, is also mentioned in the creditor’s report after it was revealed a loan of $18,143 was made to the event business.
Besties Australia was registered by O’Neill in October 2022 in her role as directory/secretary.
However the report states O’Neill did not disclose any loans to related parties to the GTA’s administrators.
‘The director (O’Neill) advised that this balance was incorrectly recorded by the Company’s former accountant and the transactions in the loan account were in respect of costs incurred by the Company, and not by Besties Australia,’ the report states.
It comes just days after Besties Australia announced it will host Meghan Markle at an exclusive three-day retreat in Sydney’s eastern suburbs next month.
The duo launched their business, Besties Australia Pty Ltd in October 2022, later hosting Gwyneth Paltrow at a ‘Besties’ event that drew a smaller than expected crowd
Tickets to the retreat, which takes place from April 17 to 19 to coincide with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip Down Under, retail for around $3,000 for one person.
The Daily Mail has contacted GTA’s appointed liquidator John McInerney for comment.
More to come.
