Chelsea Handler | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Handler in 2016 | |
| Born | Chelsea Joy Handler (1975-02-25)February 25, 1975 (age 50) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Website | chelseahandler |
Chelsea Joy Handler[1] (born February 25, 1975)[2][3] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk showChelsea Lately on theE! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series,Chelsea Does, onNetflix in January 2016.[4] From 2016 to 2017, Handler hosted the talk showChelsea on Netflix.[5]
In 2012,Time named Handler one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annualTime 100 list.[6][7]
Handler was born inLivingston, New Jersey, the youngest of six children of Rita (née Stoecker), a homemaker, and Seymour Handler, a used-car dealer.[8][9][10] Her American father wasAshkenazi Jewish; her German mother, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1958, was aMormon.[8][11] Commenting on her religious upbringing, Handler said: "I grew up as a Jew and a Mormon... I chose Jewish obviously. Mormonism is so ridiculous. But I related to... that conflict of religion for both parents."[12] Handler was raised inReform Judaism, and became aBat Mitzvah.[13][14][15] As an adult, she discovered that her maternal grandfather served in theGerman army duringWorld War II, on the TLC seriesWho Do You Think You Are? in 2013.[16][17]
She summered onMartha's Vineyard, where her parents owned a house.[18] She attendedLivingston High School, where she was a reluctant student who objected to the school's "student-teacher-asshole ratio".[19]
Handler has two sisters and three brothers; her eldest brother, Chet, died when he was 21, in a hiking accident inGrand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She was nine years old at the time.[20] At age 19, she moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles, where she lived in her aunt's home, inBel Air,[21] and pursued acting while working as a waitress to support herself.[22] At 21, Handler decided to pursue stand-up comedy after telling her story about being arrested fordriving under the influence to a class of other offenders, who found it funny.[23]
Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989[2] and battled the disease for over 15 years before dying of it in 2006.[24]
Handler was a member of the all-female cast ofOxygen'shidden camerareality television seriesGirls Behaving Badly,[25] which aired from 2002 to 2005. Other shows on which Handler has appeared includeWeekends at the D.L.,The Bernie Mac Show,My Wife and Kids, andThe Practice. She was a regular commentator on E! andScarborough Country as well as a correspondent onThe Tonight Show. She hosted the first episode of the reality TV showOn the Lot but quit before the second episode aired, saying later that she left "because I smelled the disaster happening before it did."[26] The show, produced bySteven Spielberg andMark Burnett, was a competition for aspiring filmmakers vying for a chance at stardom. It lasted one season. Handler was replaced by formerRobin & Company entertainment anchorAdrianna Costa.
In April 2006, Handler began hostingThe Chelsea Handler Show onE!, which lasted two seasons. In 2007, Handler performed withComedy Central's Hour Stand-Up Comedy Tour across the United States. Her stand-up comedy has also been televised onVH1'sLove Lounge, Comedy Central'sPremium Blend, andHBO's broadcast of theAspen Comedy Festival. She was a guest onRed Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld andThe View, and she co-hostedThe View on August 2, 2007, and September 5, 2008. On August 18, 2010, it was announced that Handler would be the host of the2010 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The announcement was surprising to many, including MTV representatives, who claimed that the final decision was unexpected.[27] This made Handler the second woman in the history of the VMAs to be the sole host of the ceremony, afterRoseanne Barr, who hosted in 1994.[28] The event took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010.
In July 2007, Handler began starring in her own half-hour late-night comedy series onE! titledChelsea Lately. The show proved to be a hit by averaging more than a half-million viewers and having clips on YouTube with more than one million views. In a 2008 interview, Handler said, "The worse the guests are, the more pathetic they are, the funnier the show is."[29]Chelsea Lately was broadcast weekdays on the E! Network in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand. After more than 1,000 episodes, the final episode ofChelsea Lately aired on August 26, 2014.[30]
The show had a spinoff, themockumentaryAfter Lately, in which the various cast members, writers, crew, guests and even "hangers-on" ofChelsea Lately were shown bickering over trivial matters and competing for airtime on the show. They also were shown seeking personal approval from Handler, who appeared in very few scenes of the program and was always portrayed as having open and utter disdain for everyone beneath her.After Lately debuted on E! on March 6, 2011. Guest stars includedReese Witherspoon,Jennifer Aniston,Jay Leno,Tori Spelling,Jenny McCarthy,Sharon Osbourne,Dave Grohl,Johnny Knoxville, andJane Fonda.[31]
In 2007, Handler appeared in the Internet-based programIn the Motherhood withLeah Remini andJenny McCarthy (since January 2008). On September 8, 2008, it was announced that ABC would be turningIn The Motherhood into a series starringJessica St. Clair,Megan Mullally, andCheryl Hines.[32]
Are You There, Chelsea? was anNBC sitcom based on Handler's 2008 best-selling bookAre You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, which aired from January 11 to March 28, 2012. On May 11, 2012, the network canceled it after only one season.[33]Laura Prepon played main character Chelsea Newman, a cocktail waitress, while Handler portrayed Chelsea'sborn-again Christian sister Sloane, a married, conservative, new mom who had little in common with her carefree sister.Dottie Zicklin (ofDharma & Greg) andJulie Larson (ofThe Drew Carey Show) were creators and executive producers. Handler served as executive producer, along withTom Werner (ofThat '70s Show), Mike Clements (ofThe Life & Times of Tim), and Tom Brunelle (ofChelsea Lately).
In 2016, Handler filmed adocumentary series forNetflix titledChelsea Does, consisting of four episodes on marriage,Silicon Valley, racism, and drugs.[34] In May 2016, she began presenting her new Netflixoriginalcomedytalk showChelsea.[35] Handler said she envisioned a show more serious thanChelsea Lately: "I would like a healthy mix of everything that goes on around the world, mixed with interesting stuff in our country. The well-roundedness of60 Minutes but faster, quicker, cooler."[4] The first season streamed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week; season 2 streams every Friday.[36] In October 2017, Handler announced that the show would be concluding after its second season, as she wished to focus on activism.[5]
In August 2018, Handler revealed she had begun working on a documentary for Netflix examining the concept ofwhite privilege and the impact it has had on her life's trajectory.[37] TitledHello, Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea, it was released in September 2019.[38]
In May 2020, Handler announced she will produce and star in a stand-up special forWarnerMedia'sHBO Max. In it, she will discuss her life experiences regarding family, friendships, and therapy. Her manager,Irving Azoff, and Allison Statter will also join Handler in producing the special.[39]
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In 2010, Handler and Tom Brunelle became producers ofPretty Wild, a reality series centered on the lives of the Neiers sisters. Her production company, Borderline Amazing Productions, and New Wave Entertainment produced the series.[40] It was canceled after one season.[41]
Handler has become executive producer of several talk shows aside from her own. In 2012, Handler became executive producer through Borderline Amazing for a weekly half-hour talk show on E! hosted byWhitney Cummings.[42] TitledLove You, Mean It With Whitney Cummings, it debuted in November 2012, but was canceled after four months, in February 2013.[43] Later that same year, Handler producedRoss Mathews's new talk show on E!,Hello Ross.[44] The show was canceled after two seasons, in 2014.[45] In 2015, Handler producedJosh Wolf'sThe Josh Wolf Show, which debuted in June 2015 onCMT.[46][47] The show was canceled in 2016.[48]
In October 2017, Handler had partnered withTNT to develop a potential drama series based on Jarrett Kobek's book,I Hate the Internet, as executive producer, together withStudio T,Studio 8's Katherine Pope,Michael Morris, and Kobek. The series will examine the phenomenon of internet discussions and dialogues and what impact it has on one's values and relationships.[49]
In November 2017,Hulu began developingUnspeakable, a newdramedy based onMeghan Daum's 2014 book,The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects Of Discussion. Handler hadoptioned the book atWorking Title Television in 2014. The show, starringMary McCormack in the lead role, focuses on a 45-year-old woman trying to find her authentic self while navigating through difficult subjects. Handler will executive produce withLiza Chasin and Andrew Stearn, with collaboration from McCormack and her husband,Michael Morris.[50]
In March 2018, Handler signed a multi-yearfirst-look deal withNBCUniversal, in which she would develop programming forUniversal Television and Universal Television Alternate Studio.[51]
In February 2019,Marvel Television and Hulu expanded their partnership for several new animated series based on the comics' off-kilter characters. Of the four planned, Handler would produceMarvel's Tigra & Dazzler Show, together withJeph Loeb and Erica Rivinoja. The series was planned to be based on the story of two "woke" superhero best friends,Tigra andDazzler, as they fought for recognition.[52] However, in December 2019, Rivinoja and the series' writers departed the project after creative differences, leaving Handler and Loeb remaining on the production team.[53] In January 2020,Marvel Studios scrapped the series.[54]
In September 2020, Handler executive produced and sold two comedies she developed at Universal:Blair, sold to HBO Max, follows a judgmental young woman who is at her own rock-bottom, andWiped Out, sold toPeacock, chronicles a woman's quest to rebuild her life after her existence is erased from the world following a passingblack hole.[55]
Handler has written six books that have been #1 onThe New York Times Best Seller list. Her first book,My Horizontal Life (2005), describes the variety of sexual encounters she has experienced throughout her life. Her second book,Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (2008), a collection of humorous essays, hit the top ofThe New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List on May 11, 2008,[56] with a print run of more than 350,000.[57] She went on a nationwide tour to promote her third book,Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which was released on March 9, 2010.[58]Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang hit Number 1 onThe New York Times Nonfiction Hardback Bestseller list for March 21, 2010.[59]
On November 15, 2010, it was announced that Handler's publishers gave her her own publishingimprint, Borderline Amazing/A Chelsea Handler Book. She also signed a three-book deal with the imprint, the first of which is calledLies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, where her coworkers and family members discuss their experiences with Handler, which was released in May 2011 and also hit the top of the bestseller list.[citation needed]
Handler has her own columns inCosmopolitan andNow, a UK celebrity magazine. In May 2009, she was the host of the20th AnnualGLAAD Media Awards inSan Francisco.[60] In June 2009, she was named asGrand Marshal of the 2009Los Angeles Pride celebration "for her visible and vocal support of equality".[61] In July 2010, during a tour stop inSalt Lake City, Handler took part in the "I Am Equal" photo documentary project in memory of her mother, Rita, who died from complications of cancer. Along with her photo being added to the documentary and accompanying photo mosaic, she also shared a "Photo Story" with a message that inspires people to take chances in life.[62] In March 2012, she hosted the Human Rights Campaign Gala inLos Angeles.[63]
In early 2014, Handler released her fifth book,Uganda Be Kidding Me, which was number one onThe New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks. That same year, in June, Handler did the stand-up showUganda Be Kidding Me: Live, which was then released on Netflix in October 2014.[64][65]
In April 2019, Handler published her first memoir,Life Will Be the Death of Me ...and You Too!, throughPenguin Random House, which reached the top spot onThe New York Times Bestsellers list. The memoir focuses on her experiences during her year of self-discovery.[66] She embarked on a comedy tour to promote the memoir.[67]Universal TV acquired the rights in September 2019 to adapt the book into a television series.[66]
In 2010, Handler was ranked on theForbes Celebrity 100 at No. 98. In 2012,Time named Handler one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annualTime 100 list.[6][7]
In the early 2000s, she had dinner withJeffrey Epstein and other influential people includingWoody Allen.
In 2009, she posed nude for the May issue ofAllure magazine.[68]
That same year, she appeared on one of the two covers for the December edition ofPlayboy. Inside the magazine, Handler posed for a non-nude pictorial.
She was also featured on the cover ofShape in April 2010,The Hollywood Reporter in June 2011, onRedbook's March 2012 issue, and on the cover of the September 2012 issue ofMarie Claire.[69][70][71]
Handler often receives press coverage for her parody images on Instagram.[72] These include imitating a "thirsty" selfie byMartha Stewart in her swimming pool, sitting on a horse topless likeVladimir Putin, and showing her naked behind likeKim Kardashian's cover for the magazinePaper.[73]
Handler has lived inBel Air, Los Angeles.[78][79] She has never married and does not have children.[80]
In 2006, Handler began datingTed Harbert, who oversawE!.[81][82] On January 25, 2010, Handler confirmed, via her late-night talk show, that she had broken up with Harbert.
Handler briefly dated rapper50 Cent around 2011.[83]
On October 3, 2013, Handler confirmed her breakup withhotelierAndré Balazs on her talk showChelsea Lately, after the couple had dated on and off for two years.[84]
On September 27, 2021, Handler and comedianJo Koy posted an official Instagram post confirming their relationship.[85] They later broke up.[86]
In 2010, a leaked sex tape of Handler was being offered for sale. After news of it broke, she explained onChelsea Lately that the tape had been made "as a joke" more than ten years prior, adding, "I put it on an audition tape for a comedy club, because I'm a comedienne, and I've been showing it at birthday parties for fucking years".[87]
Handler's political activism work has included speaking at universities and collaborating withEMILY's List to gather support forDemocratic women supportingabortion rights and helping them to get elected.[37] In a 2011 interview withThe New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion at age sixteen, saying she had the procedure "because that's what I should have done. Otherwise I would now have a 20-year-old kid. Anyway, those are things that people shouldn't be dishonest about."[88] In a 2016 interview withPlayboy magazine, Handler revealed that she had a second abortion when she was sixteen in addition to the one she talked about withThe New York Times.[89]
In 2015, Handler headlined a comedy fundraiser inIsrael, benefiting the Tal Center at the Oncology Institute of Sheba Hospital inTel HaShomer before conducting an interview with former Israeli PresidentShimon Peres inJerusalem.[90]
Handler was a vocal supporter of2016 presidential candidateHillary Clinton and was critical of her opponentDonald Trump. She stated in 2016 that a Trump presidency would be "the end of our civilization".[91] She was criticized for using homophobic insults and slurs against key Trump administration figures on multiple occasions, including implying thatSenatorLindsey Graham was acloseted homosexual and referring toAttorney GeneralJeff Sessions as a "bottom".[92]
On October 23, 2020, Handler appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In reaction to50 Cent endorsing Trump for re-election in a Twitter post that referenced taxes on high-income earners, she said that she "had to remind him that he was a black person, so he can't vote for Donald Trump, and that he shouldn't be influencing an entire swath of people who may listen to him because he's worried about his own personal pocketbook". After watching the interview, 50 Cent backtracked and said he "never liked" Trump.[93]
Following theOctober 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, Handler signed the "No Hostage Left Behind Letter", an open letter to US PresidentJoe Biden demanding the release of all Israelis kidnapped byHamas during the attack.[94] In December 2023, Handler appeared in a video withZionist activist and actressNoa Tishby onTikTok in which they criticized American progressives for their criticisms of Israel's actions during the Israel-Hamas war, with Handler adding that Israel represented the protection of "Western democracy and western values."[95] As a result of her views on Israel, Pro-Palestine protestors disrupted a comedy show by Handler in Virginia on April 19, 2024, accusing her of being a "genocide supporter." One woman was arrested and several others were removed from the premises.[96] In September 2024, Handler signed another letter by 62 artists and performers organized by Jewish advocacy groups calling for Biden and Vice PresidentKamala Harris to "pressure the terrorists to release the hostages now", as well as urging the administration to "protect and support" Israel during the war.[97][98]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Spy TV | Various | |
| The Plotters | Ann | ||
| 2002 | The Practice | Callie Fairbanks | Episode: "Eat and Run" |
| My Wife and Kids | Nurse Amy | Episode: "Diary of a Mad Teen" | |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | Doris Flynt | Episode: "Five Stages of Bryana" |
| Girls Behaving Badly | Various | TV series | |
| 2005 | Totally High | ||
| 2006 | The Chelsea Handler Show | Various | 12 episodes; also creator, writer, and producer |
| National Lampoon Presents Cattle Call | Nikita | ||
| Reno 911! | Pinky | Episode: "Spanish Mike Comes Back" | |
| 2007 | Steam | Jacky | |
| In the Motherhood | Heather | Webseries | |
| 2009 | The Good Wife | Herself | Episode: "Threesome" |
| 2011 | Hop | Mrs. Beck | |
| 2011–2013 | Whitney | Dr. Price | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | This Means War | Trish | |
| Are You There, Chelsea? | Sloane Bradley | 7 episodes; also executive producer | |
| Fun Size | Joy DeSantis | ||
| 2013 | Web Therapy | Chris Endicott | 3 episodes |
| Call Me Crazy: A Five Film | Alex | A Lifetime Original Movie | |
| 2014 | The Comeback | Herself | Episode: "Valerie Makes a Pilot" |
| 2015 | The Muppets | Episode: "Too Hot to Handler" | |
| 2019 | Will & Grace | Donna Zimmer | Episode: "Family, Trip" |
| 2024 | Not Dead Yet | Sharon Darynson | Episode: "Not in the Game Yet" |
| Prom Dates | Barb |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Comedy Central Presents | Herself | Comedy Central special |
| 2007–2014 | Chelsea Lately | Host | E! late-night talk show |
| 2010 | 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | MTV special | |
| Pretty Wild | Executive producer | E! reality series | |
| 2011–2013 | After Lately | Herself | E! mockumentary series |
| 2012–2013 | Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings | Executive producer | E! late-night talk show |
| 2013–2014 | Hello Ross | ||
| 2014 | Uganda Be Kidding Me: Live | Herself | Netflix stand-up special |
| 2015–2016 | The Josh Wolf Show | Executive producer | CMT late-night talk show |
| 2016 | Chelsea Does | Herself | Netflix documentary series |
| 2016–2017 | Chelsea | Herself/host | Netflix talk show |
| 2019 | Hello, Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea | Herself | Netflix documentary series |
| 2020 | Chelsea Handler: Evolution | HBO Max stand-up special | |
| 2022 | Chelsea Handler: Revolution | Netflix stand-up special | |
| 2023 | The Daily Show[99] | Guest host | 4 episodes (week of February 6) |
| 2024 | 29th Critics' Choice Awards | Host | TV special |
| 2025 | 30th Critics' Choice Awards | ||
| Chelsea Handler: The Feeling | Herself | Netflix stand-up special |
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