Chelsea Handler
Encyclopedia
Chelsea Joy Handler is an American stand-up comedian, humorist, television host, actress, model and best-selling author. She currently hosts a late-night talk show titled, Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...

on the E! Cable Television Network. In 2009 she won a Bravo A-List Award. She also has her own column in Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

and the UK celebrity magazine NOW.

Early life

Handler grew up in the suburban town of Livingston
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...

, New Jersey. The youngest of six children, she was raised in Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...

 by her Mormon mother Rita and Jewish father Seymour. Handler has said that while growing up, she felt like an outsider, telling a reporter, "We lived in this nice Jewish neighborhood...Everyone had Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

 and Jaguars, and I was going to school in a Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...

." In a June 2011 edition of her show, she and author James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh is a self-proclaimed medium who has written several books on spirituality and spirit communication.-Early life and career:Van Praagh was born in Bayside, New York and is the youngest of four children...

 discuss the death of her brother, Chet, when she was 9. Handler had an abortion at age 16, which she discussed at an interview in 2011.
At age 19, Handler moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and two years later she decided to become a stand-up comic after telling her story about a DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...

 to a class of other offenders, who found her story funny.

Performances

Handler has performed nationwide as a comedian, appeared as a regular on the Oxygen Network series Girls Behaving Badly
Girls Behaving Badly
Girls Behaving Badly is an American reality comedy television show on the Oxygen cable channel, and is also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television....

and on other shows, including Weekends at the D.L.
Weekends at the D.L.
Weekends at the D.L. was a talk show on Comedy Central, created in July 2005. In a typical episode, host D. L. Hughley entertains guests around a coffee table, where they drink wine and smoke stogies on the D.L...

, The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....

, My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules...

, and The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...

. She was a regular commentator on E! and Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....

as well as a correspondent on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

. She hosted the first episode of the reality TV show On the Lot
On the Lot
On the Lot is a short-lived reality show competition produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, with the ultimate prize of a million dollar development deal at DreamWorks...

, but quit before the second one was aired, as she later said, "because I smelled the disaster happening before it did." Chelsea Handler hosted The Chelsea Handler Show in April 2006, which lasted two seasons. She was a guest on Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld is a late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on the Fox News Channel, airing at 3:00 am ET Tuesday through Saturday. The show features panelists and guests discussing the latest news in politics, pop culture, entertainment, business, sports, and religion...

and The View; she co-hosted The View on August 2, 2007, and again on September 5, 2008 – and hosts her own late night talk show on E! titled Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...

. On January 25, 2009, Handler was on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 gameshow Million Dollar Password
Million Dollar Password
Million Dollar Password is an updated version of the game show Password on CBS, which was hosted by Regis Philbin and ran from June 1, 2008 to June 14, 2009. Based upon a format created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman, FremantleMedia produced the program.-Production and broadcast history:Million...

as one of the celebrity players. On April 15, 2009, Handler won the 2009 Bravo  A-List Award for "A-List Funny".

On August 18, 2010 it was announced that Handler would be the host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...

. The announcement was surprising to many, including MTV, which claimed that the final decision was unexpected. This makes Handler only the second woman in the history of the VMA's to be the sole host of the ceremony, behind Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...

, who hosted in 1994. The event took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010.

In 2007, Handler performed with the Hour Stand-Up Comedy Tour across the US. Her stand-up has been televised on Vh1's Love Lounge, Comedy Central's Premium Blend
Premium Blend
Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...

, and HBO's broadcast of the Aspen Comedy Festival. She was the host of the Fox show On The Lot
On the Lot
On the Lot is a short-lived reality show competition produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, with the ultimate prize of a million dollar development deal at DreamWorks...

. The show, produced by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...

 and Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...

, is a competition for aspiring filmmakers who are vying for a chance at stardom. She was replaced after one episode by former Robin & Company entertainment anchor, Adrianna Costa
Adrianna Costa
Adrianna Costa is an American television personality best known as an entertainment reporter and a reality show host.-Biography:...

.

Chelsea Lately

In July 2007, Handler began starring on her own half-hour late-night comedy series on E! titled Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...

. On the show's 100th episode, Chelsea revealed to viewers that E! had picked up Chelsea Lately for another 150 episodes. The show has proved a hit and averaged more than a half-million viewers since its premiere (much more than the average for a late night cable program) and has clips on YouTube with more than a million views. All this success is despite the fact that Handler's guests often are not A-list celebrities. In a 2008 interview Handler said, "The worse the guests are, the more pathetic they are, the funnier the show is." The New York Times reported that Chelsea Lately had been renewed by E! to run until December 2009; Handler's most recent contract extension will keep Chelsea Lately on the air through 2014. From her work on Chelsea Lately, Chelsea Handler is ranked on the Forbes Celebrity 100 at number 98.

In the Motherhood

Since 2007, Handler has appeared in the Internet based program In the Motherhood
In the Motherhood
In the Motherhood is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC as a midseason entry and ran from March 26, 2009 to June 25, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios in association with Cabloom! and Mindshare.-Plot:...

with Leah Remini
Leah Remini
Leah Marie Remini is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and as Stacey Carosi on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell...

 and (since January 2008) Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...

. The comedic series is "about moms, by moms and for moms". On September 8, 2008, it was announced ABC would be turning In The Motherhood into a series starring Jessica St. Clair
Jessica St. Clair
Jessica St. Clair is an American actress, writer, sketch comedian and comedy improviser who often performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and Los Angeles, usually as a member of the improv group Mother. Jessica has been a regular on the show Best Week Ever, offering her...

, Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...

, and Cheryl Hines
Cheryl Hines
Cheryl Ruth Hines is an American actress and director, known for her role as Larry David's wife Cheryl on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She currently appears on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory...

. Handler decided to drop out of the project due to her scheduling commitments to her show Chelsea Lately.

Books

Handler has authored four books on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...

. Three of the four books have been #1. Handler wrote My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands is a best-selling book by Chelsea Handler that was released on May 12 2005 by Bloomsbury USA. The book is a collection of stories about the author's various one-night stands...

(ISBN 1-58234-618-6 ) as her memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...

. Handler's first book, the collection of one-night stands describes the variety of sexual encounters Chelsea goes through throughout her life. Handler also wrote Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea is a 2008 best-selling book by Chelsea Handler that was released on April 22 by Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book is a collection of humorous and mostly autobiographical essays about her life...

(ISBN 0-06-117339-8), a collection of humorous essays. Are You There, Vodka hit the NYTimes non-fiction best seller list
New York Times Non-Fiction Bestsellers of 2008
This is a list of adult non-fiction books that topped The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list in 2008....

 on May 11, 2008; it has already had a print run of over 350,000. Her third book titled Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is a book by Chelsea Handler that was published in March 2010.-Sypnosis:The book consists of humorous essays written by Chelsea about her various life experiences. The essays are often blatantly vulgar, much like the ones in Handler's previous two published books...

, was released on March 9, 2010. Chelsea went on a nationwide tour to promote her new book, known as the "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Tour."

On November 15, 2010, it was announced that Handler's publishers had given her her own publishing imprint (Borderline Amazing/A Chelsea Handler Book). Handler has also signed a three book deal with the imprint, the first of which is called Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me, where her coworkers and family members discuss what Handler has done, which was released in May 2011 and also hit #1.

Personal life

On the January 29, 2008 episode of Chelsea Lately she said she had been asked to do season six of the hit television series Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...

but declined. Handler was ranked #91 on the 2009 Maxim Hot 100. Handler appeared on one of two covers of the December 2009 edition of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...

magazine, the alternative cover featuring Dancing with the Stars semifinalist and model Joanna Krupa
Joanna Krupa
Joanna Krupa is a Polish-American model and actress. Krupa was born in Warsaw, Poland. She has a younger sister, Marta Krupa, also a model. Joanna Krupa moved to India, Delhi, Illinois, with her family at the age of five...

. Inside the magazine Handler posed for a non-nude pictorial. Handler was also featured on the cover of Shape magazine in April 2010.

On January 25, 2010 Handler confirmed via her late night talk-show that she had broken up with long-time boyfriend Ted Harbert
Ted Harbert
Edward W. "Ted" Harbert III is currently Chairman, NBC Broadcasting. Before joining NBCUniversal, he was the president and CEO of the Comcast Entertainment Group.-Life and career:...

 who, as the CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group, oversees E! Entertainment Television. Handler began dating Harbert in 2006.

On the July 19, 2010 episode of her show, she confirmed she was dating Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...

star, animal handler, print model, and television producer Dave Salmoni
Dave Salmoni
Dave Salmoni is a Canadian animal trainer, entertainer and television producer. He has his own production company, Triosphere, which is based in South Africa and specializes in wildlife films.-Personal life:...

. However, on September 2, when asked by guest Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...

 if she was single, Handler stated that she was.

On the April 18, 2011, episode of Chelsea Lately, Handler announced to the audience that she was dating, again, and at the end of the show revealed a photo of herself and Andre Balazs
Andre Balazs
Andre Balázs is an American hotelier and residential developer. He created the Standard Hotels line of hotels and operates many hotels and residences in New York and other U.S...

 at a table. In her comedic style, she said that her new boyfriend was on the right side of the photo, where Balazs' dog was featured in the picture. When interviewed on E! News
E! News
E! News, previously known as E! News Daily and E! News Live, is a nightly entertainment newsmagazine program airing on E!: Entertainment Television. The program debuted on September 1, 1991 and talks about Hollywood celebrities and gossip...

and Piers Morgan Tonight
Piers Morgan Tonight
Piers Morgan Tonight is a talk show on CNN, hosted by Piers Morgan. The show premiered on January 17, 2011 and filled the former Larry King Live timeslot. The theme music is written by Anthony James, composer and CEO of British company Music Candy, and his writing partner Yiorgos Bellapaisiotis,...

on May 10, 2011, she continued to avoid admitting that she and Balazs were together, despite the relationship being brought up because of Balazs' presence at her Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me book party. She also admitted to "casually" dating 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...

. She stated that she was respecting her current boyfriend's (Balazs) privacy because he has children. On November 9, 2011, it was confirmed that they had broken up.

Television

  • The Good Wife – Herself
  • Pretty Wild
    Pretty Wild
    Pretty Wild was an American reality television series that premiered on E! on March 14, 2010. The show follows three young girls - Tess Taylor, 21, Alexis Neiers, 19, and Gabby Neiers, 16 - as they make their way into the Hollywood social scene. The girls and their family initially reside in...

    – producer (March 14, 2010 – present)
  • Chelsea Lately
    Chelsea Lately
    Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...

    – Herself (July 16, 2007– present)
  • After Lately
    After Lately
    After Lately is an American reality-style sitcom that began airing on the E! network on March 6, 2011. The series goes behind-the-scenes of Chelsea Handler's late night talk show, Chelsea Lately...

    -Herself (March 6, 2011- present)
  • The Chelsea Handler Show
    The Chelsea Handler Show
    The Chelsea Handler Show is an American sketch comedy series that aired on the E! television network. The series starred Chelsea Handler and featured skits that mocked the entertainment industry, spoofed celebrities, television, the elderly, and herself...

    – Herself (April 21– September 9, 2006)
  • Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...

    – Herself (standup)
  • In the Motherhood
    In the Motherhood
    In the Motherhood is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC as a midseason entry and ran from March 26, 2009 to June 25, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios in association with Cabloom! and Mindshare.-Plot:...

    – Heather (10 episodes, 2007–2008)
  • National Lampoon Presents Cattle Call – Nikita
  • Girls Behaving Badly
    Girls Behaving Badly
    Girls Behaving Badly is an American reality comedy television show on the Oxygen cable channel, and is also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television....

  • The Bernie Mac Show
    The Bernie Mac Show
    The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....

  • Dirty Famous – Missy Kelin (1 episode, 2005, unsold pilot)
  • The Practice
    The Practice
    The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...

  • Spy TV
    Spy TV
    Spy TV is an American hidden camera reality television series hosted by Michael Ian Black and Ali Landry. The show was broadcast on NBC in which pranks were pulled on people by their friends. The show was cancelled after two seasons....

  • My Wife and Kids
    My Wife and Kids
    My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules...

    – Nurse Amy
  • Weekends at the D.L.
    Weekends at the D.L.
    Weekends at the D.L. was a talk show on Comedy Central, created in July 2005. In a typical episode, host D. L. Hughley entertains guests around a coffee table, where they drink wine and smoke stogies on the D.L...

  • Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
    Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
    Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld is a late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on the Fox News Channel, airing at 3:00 am ET Tuesday through Saturday. The show features panelists and guests discussing the latest news in politics, pop culture, entertainment, business, sports, and religion...

  • Steam (film) (2007)
  • Hop (2011) – Mrs. Beck
  • This Means War
    This Means War (film)
    This Means War is an upcoming 2012 action comedy film directed by McG, starring Tom Hardy, Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon.-Plot:Two CIA agents go to war with one another after they discover they are dating the same woman .-Cast:* Reese Witherspoon as Lauren Scott* Chris Pine* Tom Hardy* Chelsea...

    (2012) – Trish

Published Works

  • My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
    My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
    My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands is a best-selling book by Chelsea Handler that was released on May 12 2005 by Bloomsbury USA. The book is a collection of stories about the author's various one-night stands...

    (2005)
  • Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
    Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
    Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea is a 2008 best-selling book by Chelsea Handler that was released on April 22 by Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book is a collection of humorous and mostly autobiographical essays about her life...

    (2008)
  • Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
    Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
    Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is a book by Chelsea Handler that was published in March 2010.-Sypnosis:The book consists of humorous essays written by Chelsea about her various life experiences. The essays are often blatantly vulgar, much like the ones in Handler's previous two published books...

    (2010)
  • Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
    Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
    Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me is the fourth book by American comedian Chelsea Handler that was published in May 2011. This book was a part of a three book deal Handler signed in November 2010...

    (2011)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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