Ray Hadley’s bitter feud with Alan Jones has been laid bare in a Sydney courtroom, where the former 2GB broadcaster described his long-time rival with a stream of insults while giving evidence in Jones’s indecent assault trial.
Hadley appeared as a prosecution witness in the case against 85-year-old Jones, who denies 22 charges involving six men. The allegations, which span from 2003 to 2020, include 20 counts of assault with an act of indecency and two counts of sexual touching. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-03/alan-jones-indecent-assault-sexual-touching-trial-starts/106985660))
For three days, Hadley was questioned about his relationship with Jones, his dealings with one of the complainants and messages in which he referred to the veteran broadcaster as a “parasite”, “dog”, “grub” and “low c***”.
Jones sat silently in the courtroom, taking notes and largely avoiding eye contact with his former colleague. Hadley, meanwhile, occasionally glanced towards him from the witness box as the pair’s decades-long rivalry was examined in detail.
The court heard Hadley had known Jones for more than 35 years. Their relationship had shifted repeatedly between professional rivalry and personal closeness, with Hadley telling the court they had been “very close” before becoming “very distant”.
Hadley accepted he had signed a secret contract worth $4 million to take over Jones’s breakfast programme at 2GB. He said the prospect of doubling his salary persuaded him to accept the offer, despite the prospect of starting work at 1.30am.
“The money made me do it,” Hadley told Jones’s barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC.
The proposed change did not happen after the chairman of Nine, which owns 2GB, pushed for Jones to return to the breakfast slot. Hadley said he nevertheless received the salary promised under the deal and joked that Jones had inadvertently doubled his pay while leaving him in the same job.
Hadley also acknowledged confronting Jones in his office and calling him a “dog and a c***”. He described the exchange, with evident irony, as offering his rival “advice”.
Ray Hadley messages aired in the Alan Jones trial
The court heard Hadley became increasingly hostile towards Jones after a former radio colleague confided in him in October 2019. The man, known as Complainant C, alleges Jones kissed him and touched his crotch repeatedly without consent.
Hadley said the man broke down while recounting the alleged incidents and told him: “He put his hand on my c**k and kissed me.” The witness said the complainant feared the allegations would destroy his career because Jones was “too powerful”.
Complainant C had previously told the court that the alleged conduct occurred in a work lift, in Jones’s apartment lift and while he was driving. Jones’s defence team says the allegations did not happen. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
Hadley said he asked whether the man wanted him to speak to management, the station chairman or police, but the complainant initially asked him to keep the matter secret.
On the same day, Hadley discussed the substance of the allegations, without identifying the man, with journalist and author Peter FitzSimons. The court heard FitzSimons later spoke to the complainant, who did not agree to be identified or go on the record. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
Messages sent by Hadley were shown to the court, including one stating that Jones “needs to be destroyed”. Another referred to Jones using a homophobic slur, which Hadley accepted was a “very strong” term he would not normally use.
After a 2023 report by journalist Kate McClymont concerning allegations against Jones, Hadley sent further messages describing him as a “low c***” and saying: “I won’t rest until we bury him, figuratively and literally.”
He also wrote that Jones would be in the “foetal position” when he read a forthcoming story, adding: “It’s been 50 years in the making.”
Hadley denied suggestions from the defence that he had encouraged Complainant C to come forward in order to damage Jones or seize his former colleague’s position. The complainant has also rejected claims that he made or pursued the allegations to benefit Hadley. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-20/nsw-alan-jones-court-trial-complainant-c-ray-hadley/107053532))
Hadley told the court he had continued checking on the complainant’s welfare and later gave police a statement in June 2024. The complainant contacted him again in December 2023 to say he had decided to share his allegations with McClymont. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
Jones’s barrister argued that “rivalry, treachery, double-dealing, money, hatred, desperation and opportunism” lay at the heart of the case, portraying Hadley as a man determined to bring down his former rival.
Hadley rejected that characterisation and said he had come to court to support the complainant. “That’s why I’m here today,” he told the court.
His evidence was interrupted by legal arguments and resumed over the following days. The trial, being heard in the NSW Local Court, is expected to continue for several weeks and involve more than 70 witnesses. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/nsw-alan-jones-trial-ray-hadley-evidence/107097694))
