Chelsea Joy Handler[1] (born February 25, 1975)[2][3] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer.

[13][14][15] As an adult, she discovered that her maternal grandfather served in the German army during World War II, on the TLC series Who Do You Think You Are?

[20] At age 19, she moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles, where she lived in her aunt's home, in Bel 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 for driving under the influence to a class of other offenders, who found it funny.

[24] Handler was a member of the all-female cast of Oxygen's hidden camera reality television series Girls Behaving Badly,[25] which aired from 2002 to 2005.

"[26] The show, produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, was a competition for aspiring filmmakers vying for a chance at stardom.

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.

Guest stars included Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Jay Leno, Tori Spelling, Jenny McCarthy, Sharon Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Johnny Knoxville, and Jane Fonda.

On September 8, 2008, it was announced that ABC would be turning In The Motherhood into a series starring Jessica St. Clair, Megan Mullally, and Cheryl Hines.

Dottie Zicklin (of Dharma & Greg) and Julie Larson (of The Drew Carey Show) were creators and executive producers.

In 2016, Handler filmed a documentary series for Netflix titled Chelsea Does, consisting of four episodes on marriage, Silicon Valley, racism, and drugs.

[5] In August 2018, Handler revealed she had begun working on a documentary for Netflix examining the concept of white privilege and the impact it has had on her life's trajectory.

[39] In 2010, Handler and Tom Brunelle became producers of Pretty Wild, a reality series centered on the lives of the Neiers sisters.

The show, starring Mary 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 with Liza Chasin and Andrew Stearn, with collaboration from McCormack and her husband, Michael Morris.

[51] In February 2019, Marvel Television and Hulu expanded their partnership for several new animated series based on the comics' off-kilter characters.

[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.

It's Me, Chelsea (2008), a collection of humorous essays, hit the top of The New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List on May 11, 2008,[56] with a print run of more than 350,000.

[60] In June 2009, she was named as Grand Marshal of the 2009 Los Angeles Pride celebration "for her visible and vocal support of equality".

[61] In July 2010, during a tour stop in Salt 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.

[63] In early 2014, Handler released her fifth book, Uganda Be Kidding Me, which was number one on The New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks.

[64][65] In April 2019, Handler published her first memoir, Life Will Be the Death of Me, through Penguin Random House, which reached the top spot on The New York Times Bestsellers List.

[72] These include imitating a "thirsty" selfie by Martha Stewart in her swimming pool, sitting on a horse topless like Vladimir Putin, and showing her naked behind like Kim Kardashian's cover for the magazine Paper.

[81] On October 3, 2013, Handler confirmed her breakup with hotelier Andre Balazs on her talk show Chelsea Lately, after the couple had dated on and off for two years.

[87] In 2015, Handler headlined a comedy fundraiser in Israel, benefiting the Tal Center at the Oncology Institute of Sheba Hospital in Tel HaShomer before conducting an interview with former Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

[89] She was criticized for using homophobic insults and slurs against key Trump administration figures on multiple occasions, including implying that Senator Lindsey Graham was a closeted homosexual and referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a "bottom".

In reaction to 50 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".

[92] In December 2023, Handler appeared in a video with Zionist activist and actress Noa Tishby on TikTok 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.

"[93] 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."

[94] In September 2024, Handler signed another letter by 62 artists and performers organized by Jewish advocacy groups calling for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to "pressure the terrorists to release the hostages now", as well as urging the administration to "protect and support" Israel during the war.