Jo Stanley facts for kids

Jo Stanley is a well-known Australian comedian and presenter who has appeared on both television and radio. Her real name is Joanne McFarlane, but she uses "Jo Stanley" as her professional name.

For many years, she was famous for co-hosting the popular radio show The Matt and Jo Show in Melbourne. More recently, she started a project called Broad Radio, which began as a podcast and grew into a radio platform.

Career in Radio and TV

Jo Stanley has had a long and successful career in Australian media. She started in comedy and then became a popular host on radio and television.

Early Days in Comedy and Radio

Before she was famous on the radio, Jo Stanley was part of a comedy group called The Gorskys. She also performed in shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Her radio career began on Fox FM, where she hosted a show with Jodie J Hill. They later moved to the radio station Triple M for a show called The Whole Shebang.

Stanley also appeared on many TV shows as a guest. Some of these include Thank God You're Here, The Project, and Hughesy, We Have a Problem.

The Famous Matt & Jo Show

In late 2003, Jo joined Matt Tilley to host the breakfast show on Fox FM. The show was eventually named The Matt & Jo Show and became incredibly popular.

For over five years, it was the number one breakfast radio show in Melbourne, meaning more people listened to it than any other morning show. The show ended in November 2013 after a very successful run.

Later Career and New Projects

After The Matt & Jo Show, Stanley continued to work in radio. In 2014, she began hosting Weekend Breakfast on the Hit Network, which was broadcast across Australia. From 2016 to 2017, she co-hosted the breakfast show Jo & Lehmo on Gold 104.3.

In 2019, she became a co-host on the Seven Network's TV show, House of Wellness.

In 2020, Stanley started a new project called Broad Radio as a podcast. It was so successful that in 2024, she launched it as a full radio platform, with the first show airing on October 7.

Personal Life

Jo Stanley grew up in Melbourne and attended Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School and Donvale Christian School. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours from Monash University, where she studied drama and theatre.

Her birth name was Joanne Bailey. She chose to use "Stanley" as her stage name to avoid being confused with other famous people with the same last name. Her married name is McFarlane.

In 2009, Jo and her husband Darren McFarlane had a daughter. She is also a fan of the Collingwood Football Club, which plays in the Australian Football League.