Chelsea Handler on Men, Trump & Money (+ Excellent Parenting Advice)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Chelsea Handler on Men, Trump & Money (+ Excellent Parenting Advice)"

On with Kara Swisher
Host: Kara Swisher
Guest: Chelsea Handler
Release Date: March 13, 2025
Episode Title: Chelsea Handler on Men, Trump & Money (+ Excellent Parenting Advice)

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Introduction to Chelsea Handler's New Projects

The episode kicks off with Kara Swisher introducing Chelsea Handler, highlighting her latest ventures:

• Netflix Special: The Feeling releasing on March 25.
• New Book: I'll Have What She's Having, a collection of essays marking her 50th birthday, portraying her journey to self-actualization.

Chelsea's Perspective on Success:
Chelsea humorously attributes her repeated success on the New York Times bestseller list to her unconventional career path and non-traditional educational background.

[03:11] Chelsea Handler: "I have a pretty good track record of getting to number one… my family know that I was fucking right."

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Dedication to Flight Attendants and Generosity

Flight Attendants Tribute:
Chelsea explains her dedication to flight attendants, emphasizing the importance of respect and patience towards them.

[05:04] Chelsea Handler: "Flight attendants have been through hell. People treat them terribly and they need our respect and our patience."

Generosity as a Core Theme:
She underscores the significance of generosity, both personally and societally, advocating for continual giving.

[04:00] Chelsea Handler: "It's important to share everything you have… We need more of that generosity of spirit."

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Personal Life and Parental Roles

Acting as a Father Figure:
Chelsea shares her deep bond with her ex-boyfriend's three daughters, who affectionately call her "father." This relationship stems from her own experiences as the youngest of six siblings and feeling neglected, leading her to provide the love and attention these girls needed.

[07:12] Chelsea Handler: "They are huge loves in my life… I think of them, you know, I would do anything for them."

Choosing to Be Child-Free:
Chelsea discusses her deliberate choice to remain child-free, allowing her to contribute more broadly to others' lives rather than focusing solely on her own family.

[09:24] Chelsea Handler: "When you are child free, it opens you up to really be helping the world in a bigger way…"

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Entrepreneurial Ventures and Business Strategy

Early Entrepreneurship:
Chelsea recounts her childhood lemonade stand adventure, showcasing her early business acumen and willingness to pivot for profit.

[17:53] Chelsea Handler: "We made $359 at our hard lemonade stand. I gave Nelson his commission, which was $3.59."

Current Business Endeavors:
She highlights her partnership with Owls Brew to create Chelsea Handler’s Vodka Lemonade, demonstrating her continued entrepreneurial spirit.

Revenue Streams:
Chelsea ranks her income sources, identifying touring as the most lucrative, followed by podcasting and book sales.

[40:07] Chelsea Handler: "Touring is where you make the most. I make a lot of money doing that too."

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Stand-Up Special and Audience Engagement

Upcoming Netflix Special:
Chelsea discusses The Feeling, her new stand-up special, noting its edgier tone compared to her book.

Audience Overlap:
She acknowledges the overlap between her book readers and stand-up audiences, emphasizing her storytelling prowess in both mediums.

[42:12] Chelsea Handler: "I'm a storyteller. I'm telling my personal story…"

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Views on Politics and Social Issues

Critique of Trump and Political Climate:
Chelsea offers a scathing critique of Donald Trump, expressing confusion over his appeal among young voters and frustration with the current political divisions.

[14:08] Chelsea Handler: "I don't understand the attraction to Trump with a lot of young voters. I don't get it."

Hope for the Future:
Despite the political turmoil, Chelsea remains optimistic about the progress and strength of women.

[12:02] Chelsea Handler: "Women are more powerful and more independent than we've ever been, and that isn't gonna change."

Hollywood’s Role:
She views Hollywood as a counterbalance to the current administration, contributing positively to social justice and representation.

[46:30] Chelsea Handler: "Hollywood is kind of a nice antidote to this administration in many ways."

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Therapy and Personal Growth

Therapy Challenges:
Chelsea candidly discusses her experiences with therapy, highlighting the irony and difficulty of self-reflection.

[23:38] Chelsea Handler: "Therapy didn't become part of the problem, it just is… It's dirty. You find out ugly truths about yourself."

Self-Help Insights:
She shares how embracing positive thinking and energy transformation helped her overcome personal struggles and maintain her well-being.

[25:12] Chelsea Handler: "When you have positive thoughts, you're stronger, you're healthier, you're optimistic… It’s the power of positive thinking."

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Parenting Advice from Chelsea Handler's Book

Etiquette and Responsibility:
Chelsea provides practical parenting advice, emphasizing the importance of treating children as individuals that need to feel seen and respected.

[29:05] Chelsea Handler: "Everyone just wants to be seen. When you feel seen, then you feel like yourself and you don't feel judged…"

Top Parenting Mistakes:
She outlines three common mistakes parents make:

1. Lack of Objectivity: Parents can't see their children clearly due to bias.
2. Treating Children as Adults: Failing to meet children where they are.
3. Neglecting Emotional Support: Not providing the necessary emotional validation.

[29:38] Chelsea Handler: "Treating children like human beings instead of children…"

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Humorous Anecdotes and Personal Stories

Encounters with Celebrities:
Chelsea shares memorable interactions with celebrities like Woody Allen and Piers Morgan, highlighting her bold and unapologetic personality.

[32:47] Chelsea Handler: "I asked him how did you two meet? That's great. I slept like a baby that night. I really did."

Birthday Traditions:
She humorously discusses her unique birthday tradition of skiing in bathing suits, reflecting her free-spirited nature.

[47:34] Chelsea Handler: "It's a song of freedom for women, you know, everywhere. It's like, come on, I'll have what I'm having."

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Authenticity and Content Creation

Commitment to Honesty:
Chelsea emphasizes the importance of authenticity in her work, ensuring that her content remains genuine and relatable.

[38:17] Chelsea Handler: "I have to be very honest and very… I will give you the honest truth of what's happening in my life right now."

Balancing Art and Commerce:
She balances artistic integrity with commercial success, ensuring that her projects align with her true self rather than being purely profit-driven.

[37:41] Chelsea Handler: "I'm not for sale."

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resilience and Purpose:
Chelsea concludes by reaffirming her commitment to being a source of positivity and strength for others, despite the challenges posed by the current socio-political landscape.

[26:36] Chelsea Handler: "It's important to have a mission and understand when to speak up and what to say when you're speaking up."

Upcoming Projects:
She briefly touches on her continued work with Netflix and future plans, ensuring her audience remains engaged with her multifaceted career.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [03:11] Chelsea Handler: "I was the youngest of six. And now they know that I was fucking right."
• [05:04] Chelsea Handler: "Flight attendants have been through hell…"
• [09:24] Chelsea Handler: "When you are child free, it opens you up to really be helping the world in a bigger way."
• [14:08] Chelsea Handler: "I don't understand the attraction to Trump with a lot of young voters."
• [23:38] Chelsea Handler: "Therapy didn't become part of the problem, it just is…"
• [25:12] Chelsea Handler: "When you have positive thoughts, you're stronger, you're healthier…"
• [29:05] Chelsea Handler: "Everyone just wants to be seen…"
• [38:17] Chelsea Handler: "I will give you the honest truth of what's happening in my life right now."
• [47:34] Chelsea Handler: "It's a song of freedom for women…"

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Conclusion

In this engaging episode of On with Kara Swisher, Chelsea Handler offers a candid and multifaceted glimpse into her personal life, professional ventures, and societal views. Through humor and honesty, she navigates topics ranging from entrepreneurship and parenting to politics and personal growth, providing listeners with valuable insights and relatable stories.

Transcript

[Chelsea Handler]

It's on.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi everyone from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is on with Kara Swisher and I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is the comedian and seven time best selling author Chelsea Handler. She has a new Netflix special titled the Feeling that comes out March 25 and she recently released a new book called I'll have what She's Having. It was published on her 50th birthday and fittingly, it's a collection of essays that chronicle her journey to becoming the woman she always wanted to be. Or as she puts it, a beautiful hurricane. I found the book very funny and full of really interesting lessons. I love talking to Chelsea. Not just cause she's hilarious, but she's also politically engaged and a savvy entrepreneur who's been very successful in streaming, podcasting, publishing and touring. I spoke to her last Sunday on the Vox Media Podcast stage at south by Southwest and we got into all of new book politics and the Business of Being Chelsea Handler. I also told her she needs to date Elon Musk in order to save us from this nightmare. She declined, unsurprisingly. It was a great conversation, so stick around.

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[Audience Member]

It is over.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yay.

[Audience Member]

Yay. We're here. Finally, the only person I really know. I had a great time with Elizabeth Warren yesterday, but I'm super excited.

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm jealous that I wasn't here for that.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, she was great. She was great.

[Chelsea Handler]

Love Elizabeth Warren.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, she's fantastic. So Chelsea, thanks for joining me in this conversation of Vox Media Podcast stage at south by Southwest presented by Smartsheet.

[Chelsea Handler]

Let's.

[Audience Member]

Let's start with your book, which is number one on The New York Times bestseller list debuted. Wow. Why do you think that is? Why do you. You know, there's a lot of right wing books up there. There's a lot of stuff like that. Why? I know, but why do you think you got to number one?

[Chelsea Handler]

I don't know why I got to number one. I have a pretty good track record of getting to number one. Yeah. So this is my sixth number one New York Times bestseller. Yeah. And thank you so much. I'm very. Every time. I was just telling Kara backstage. It just never gets old to get that. That you're number one on the New York Times list. And I'm from a family of six children. I'm the only one who didn't go to college. So I love calling my brothers and sisters and congratulating them on their wasted efforts in college and that I was right all along. I was the youngest of six. And I would tell them, you guys stick with me. I will show you the way. I will take this family to the next level. And now they know that I was fucking right.

[Audience Member]

That's right. That's right. Which you write about a lot in this book, but you started the book with a quote. To have and not to give is worse than to steal. Why was that the quote?

[Chelsea Handler]

Because I really appreciate generosity, my own generosity, the generosity that my mother instilled in me. And I think the world obviously could use a lot more of it now. And it's very important to share everything you have, including your stage, your time, whatever you have to give, give it and give it, you know? And when you're done giving, are you sure that's all you have to give? Because I could bet you you can find more to give. And it's the world that we're living in. We need more of that. And I want generosity of spirit. I want to demonstrate it, I want to display it, and I want to spread it.

[Audience Member]

Excellent. So you also dedicated the book to stewardesses. And there's a great scene in the book.

[Chelsea Handler]

That's a very antiquated term, Kara. They're called flight attendants.

[Audience Member]

Ok.

[Chelsea Handler]

Please get with the program. I know you're flying around privately, but try and remember us small people, please.

[Audience Member]

Flight attendants.

[Chelsea Handler]

Flight attendants.

[Audience Member]

Mostly women, though you did say they're mostly women.

[Chelsea Handler]

And then the men that are flight attendants are also our sisters. Okay.

[Audience Member]

All right. So why did you dedicate it to them?

[Chelsea Handler]

I spend a lot of my time on flights. I'm sure many of us in this room do. I spend about.

[Audience Member]

I want you to say you wanted to from the early time you walked through first class and said, these are my flights. Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, I wanted to spend my time in first class from a very young early age. When I was on my first flight, I walked past the first class section. I was like. I sniffed around. I was like, this seems like my group. And my mom was like, this is not our group. You will never be able to fly first class. We can't afford that. And I was like, speak for yourself. So anyway, I do fly a lot. And for work, for whatever. I spend a lot of my time on planes. I wrote half this book on planes. And flight attendants have been through hell. People treat them terribly and they need our respect and they need our patience. They are stuck with us in the sky and we need to be nicer to them. And yeah, after Covid and all of.

[Audience Member]

Those accidents, it's white lotus in the sky.

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, yeah, white lotus in the sky. Right. You're stuck in a tube of disgusting air. Let's be sweet and generous and gracious to them, please.

[Audience Member]

And you offered to beat people up.

[Chelsea Handler]

I will always be on a plane and act as a flight attendant. Yes.

[Audience Member]

Yes.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah. If there is a problem or a nuisance or someone needs to be removed, I'm your girl.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. One of the reviews was a pleasingly unformulaic book of hard won advice that never rings false. Do you like that review?

[Chelsea Handler]

Oh, I never heard it. Yeah, sure.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. Circus.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I love it.

[Audience Member]

Are you pleasingly unformulaic?

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm unformulaic, yeah. And if it's pleasing to you, that's your opinion.

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm glad to be pleasing somebody. I just need to please a few people, not everybody.

[Audience Member]

Who do you have to please?

[Chelsea Handler]

Just enough people to give me my career. You know, the fans. I want to please my fans, the people who've provided me with this life. But I'm not looking to please people. I'm not a people pleaser. Yeah. I want people. I want to spread joy and sunshine. But I'm not trying to please you.

[Audience Member]

Right, I can see that. So explain how your father changed you. You've built a very deep and caring relationship with three girls whose dad used to date. We just talked about it backstage. They called you father. And you write that one of the girls said to you, father is always with us, even when she's not. And you thought to yourself, this is the single best sentence I ever heard in my life.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

Explain this story. I found it. I have a lot of kids, as you know. A lot of kids And I was very upset by the story of you moving in there. Not that you did. I felt good that you did. But these kids had been kind of left alone by their parents in a way.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, Their parents just kind of had kids and they were career people and they thought, well, these kids will be of the world. You know, like, they were kind of two people with huge careers that also had children, not people who had children who also had huge careers. Do you know what I mean?

[Audience Member]

Yeah, I know.

[Chelsea Handler]

So the kids were kind of left by the wayside. And my ex boyfriend and his relationship with his girls just hurt me. Like, it hurt my heart. And I'm from a family of three girls, three boys. And when I saw these girls, I recognized in them so many things I felt in my adolescent angst and my, like, you know, the neglect and the needing to be seen and the feeling of being ignored and how that, like, I related to that feeling so much that I just wrapped these girls up and became for them whatever I could be, which was like an interim parent. And they call me dad. Well, they call me father because they have a dad. So they call I'm father and he's dad, and he's very confused all the time. I was also very confused. But they are huge loves in my life. They still are. And I share that in the book because people think that I don't have children. I hate children.

[Audience Member]

Well, you do have comedy about hating children.

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, I want to be child free. I'm very excited that I've remained that way and that I've remained single for as long as I have. Like, I feel like now I'm free. I got out of that tunnel where those things could have happened. Like, I could have had a baby or gotten married, and I didn't. And now I feel like I'm 50 and I have the whole world ahead of me. Like, I've never been more excited to get through a test, you know. But these girls are very important people in my lives and they are my children. I think of them, you know, I would do anything for them. So, yes, it was important for me to share that because whenever I'm writing books, I'm like, what have. I'm so, you know, candid about my life. I'm not precious about my personal life or anything. I never wanna be that way. And I'm not very private. So I'm like, what can I share that I haven't shared? And I was like, oh, that's something that people don't really know about. How many Children are in my life and how many children I really do care for and have in my.

[Audience Member]

Like your nieces and nephews?

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, my nieces and nephews are one thing, they're related to me. But so many people outside that are not related to me, who's lives I'm able to make big contributions to because I am single and because I am child free, I have the bandwidth to help even more people than I would probably help if I only had my own family. And that's something that people don't talk about. When you are child free, it opens you up to really be helping the world in a bigger way. You can make other contributions. Your value comes from a multitude of things, not just being a mother or a wife. There are many other ways to contribute. So I'm glad so many women are having honest conversations about procreating and that it's not for everybody because it's for fucking not. You know, some people aren't good at that. So it's good. You seem to be good. I'm good at helping out.

[Audience Member]

Right.

[Chelsea Handler]

You know, I'm good at being a big sister and helping push and making sure, picking people up. But I don't need to be a parent. You know, any dog of mine will tell you it is not.

[Audience Member]

You seem like an excellent dog owner.

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, I mean I have an excellent system in place. I'm not the best dog owner. I'm not the one doing all of the things and it's even for a dog. So imagine how I would show up for a real person.

[Audience Member]

You do wear them on your back?

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I ski with them when I need to in my bikini for my birthdays every year. So they're good for that. But I love my part.

[Audience Member]

Where do you ski this year for that? Where did you do this year?

[Chelsea Handler]

I did that on Soldier Mountain in Idaho this year with like 25 women. I was like, get me 2550 year old women and let's all ski together. So we took a little LSD and we all skied.

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

In bikinis.

[Chelsea Handler]

In bikinis, bathing suits. Yes. Yes. It was very joyful.

[Audience Member]

Was it? Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

It sounds good. Absolutely.

[Audience Member]

I noticed you didn't invite me.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's very exhilarating walking.

[Audience Member]

I can ski.

[Chelsea Handler]

You can ski? Yeah.

[Audience Member]

I'm not skiing in a bikini.

[Chelsea Handler]

Why not?

[Audience Member]

It's not for me. It's not for me.

[Chelsea Handler]

We're doing it in Palisades, Tahoe Friday. We're doing it for Gold Bond. We're doing a ski event that was inspired by my birthday videos. We're gonna break the Guinness Book of World Records in Palisades, Tahoe Friday, March 14 and anyone can sign up. Men, women, snowboarders, skiers. We're doing it in bikinis, in bathing suits.

[Audience Member]

Oh, good, that's great.

[Chelsea Handler]

Any bathing suit you want in a bathing suit.

[Audience Member]

Oh, interesting. Okay, now, so one of the things you said, the book is about female sisterhood, togetherness, let's stick together and be empowered by others. And you write, the admonishment and disdain that comes in response to women's relationship with herself is a great reflection of how slow and unchanging our society is. Talk about that a little bit. You say what you want, you talk about loving drugs and alcohol. You ski topless. You never want to get married and have kids. You're essentially J.D. vance's nightmare. Talk a little bit about what you're talking about here. The greatest reflection of how slow and unchanging society.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's just like men are upset that women don't. I mean, those types of men, I understand there are, you know, my type of men that understand why we would make that decision, but those types of men that want to keep women at home and being mothers and, you know, not having career, like that's just so antiquated and it's so slow and it's so boring. We're so bored. You know, I think the political situation we're in is a direct reflection of the fact that men are so scared of women. Like, why are you acting like this if they're not, why would you overturn Roe v. WADE after the MeToo movement? You know, that was a direct correlation, in my opinion. I think that. And women aren't going anywhere. And men, the men that stand with us aren't going anywhere. So this is a blip of really unfortunate history in our country. I can't believe we've had to go through. We're gonna have to go through this for a second time and probably worse. But I don't have any hope lost about the success of women and the contribution. Women are more powerful and more independent than we've ever been, and that isn't gonna change.

[Kara Swisher]

What do you think of.

[Audience Member]

You know, my other podcast partner, Scott, talks about the crisis of young men and men right now. Do you think they're in a crisis or do you think about it at all?

[Chelsea Handler]

I do. I was on a plane yesterday with a really young. I think there's a new generation of young. This boy, he was on this plane, this 16 year old boy, and he asked if he could Put Tiger Balm on his knee if the smell would bother any of us. And I was like, I want to have sex with you. Like, I know I'm not having sex with a 16 year old, but you know what I'm saying? When he was older and when he gets older, maybe I do want to have sex with him, but that was just a nice indication of how conscientious. And I'm noticing young men like that when I'm talking to my friend's children. They're very engaging and they're more confident and they're smarter than when we grew up. So I feel like this new generation, they're woke in the right way. It's not a cancerous woke where everyone's like, it's conscientious and they're compassionate. And so I'm very hopeful about our young people. I think they're a lot smarter than we're giving them credit for.

[Audience Member]

Agreed. What do you attribute attraction to Trump, though, with a lot of young voters?

[Chelsea Handler]

I don't understand the attraction to Trump with a lot of young voters. I don't know if that is the. I mean, I can't speak to that. I can only speak to the fact that we're gonna see how this all shakes out. People aren't going to be pleased with this when the midterms come around. Trump is not out for anybody but rich people, as we all know. So it's like everyone who voted for him in the hopes of something else or some aspirational hope of a better life, a better economy, they're wrong. That's not gonna happen. The opposite's gonna happen. The people who don't have money are gonna suffer even more. And so I don't know how to answer why anyone votes for Donald Trump. I don't get it.

[Audience Member]

A lot of people did. Well, one of them was the idea of a better life, right? That the prices, that there's more opportunity. And even though the economy was good, they didn't feel it.

[Chelsea Handler]

But also, any economist will tell you that you're finding an economy. An economy hits like four to eight years after the first president. Biden was working off of Trump's economy and Trump is working off of Biden's economy. But people are so fucking stupid, they don't even understand that. I don't get it. It's so obvious. You don't implement things into the economy. And it has an impact right away. To the stock market, it does, but not to the economy. You know, those are. I mean, some things, but a Lot of things take a lot longer.

[Audience Member]

Talk a little about money, because the tax cuts will help people like yourself, right?

[Chelsea Handler]

I don't need the help. I'm happy to give my money to the people that need it.

[Audience Member]

But when you talk in the book about your parents as a financial hurricane, and earning money is important to you, and you've done well all throughout your career in that way. When did you first realize the importance of understanding money for yourself? Because it's. You discuss it in the book quite a bit.

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, I don't know if I understand money, but it's nice to have. It helps, you know, it helps a lot. It's nice to be able to help other people with it. It's nice to be able to live a life that affords me the possibilities to see the world. Of course I want to have a nice life. I like money, but seeing my parents struggle financially. We weren't poor, but we weren't wealthy, and there were, like, phone bills would be. Phones would be turned off. Things like that made me feel very insec. I definitely felt from a very young age that I wanted financial independence, and I never wanted to rely on a man or a partner for that. Now I wouldn't mind a little help coming. Some funds. You know, I'm like, I support a lot of people, so I'm like, can I get some. You know, can I get another? You know, I'd like a double family income, but, you know, that's hard to do if I don't want to get married. So I take the responsibilities on, and then I have to hustle.

[Audience Member]

I told her to take one from the team and date Elon Musk and bring him back.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I'm not that much into teammates. I don't think I could. I mean, there's a lot I would do for this country, but having sex with Elon Musk is not one of them. I can't. I can't.

[Audience Member]

Just an idea.

[Chelsea Handler]

I would do so many other things, though, you know, for the country, such a. I mean, I can't think of anything. You're the interviewer. You have to figure out what I'll say yes to and what I'll say no to. Farah.

[Audience Member]

Well, I think that's a good idea.

[Chelsea Handler]

But, I mean, Elon Musk is just one that is above my pay grade. Okay.

[Audience Member]

He has a lot of money.

[Chelsea Handler]

I know, but that's not. I can't. Yeah, okay.

[Audience Member]

All right.

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, yeah, but you should try it. You do it. Why don't you do it? Kara does Anyone here want to do it?

[Audience Member]

No. Wow, that's amazing.

[Chelsea Handler]

All right.

[Audience Member]

So one of the things, though, that in the book, you were very ambitious from an early age. I love the scenes of you.

[Chelsea Handler]

Very vicious.

[Audience Member]

No, no, no.

[Chelsea Handler]

Ambitious, ambitious.

[Audience Member]

Yes, yes. Somewhat vicious because you cut your sister or your brother off working for you in a.

[Chelsea Handler]

My sister. I fired her. I opened a lemonade stand. My sister wanted to partner with me on it. And then I realized pretty quickly lemonade was not. Not gonna be a big profit margin. So I opened up a hard lemonade stand serving alcohol to the parents of the children. And then children who were 10, they could also get a drink. And then I made a lot of money, and then I had to cut. I had to lean out my staff, so I cut my sister. And then I hired another 10 year old named Nelson, and he was my bar back. He made the drinks. And in the first week we were 10 years old, we made $359 at our hard lemonade stand. And I gave Nelson his commission, which was $3.59. And Nelson thought he had hit the jackpot. He's like, oh, my God. I said, stick with me, brother. I will show you the way. I haven't seen Nelson since that lemonade stand, but I do now with my book. In conjunction with my book, I partnered with this brand, Owls Brew, and I made my own Chelsea Handler's Vodka Lemonade. We have three flavors, and it's so delicious. So my dreams all came true.

[Audience Member]

So you're still in the business.

[Chelsea Handler]

So I'm still in the lemonade business, yes.

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[Audience Member]

So where does that entrepreneurial drive come from? Because you have been very entrepreneurial as a career compared to a lot of people.

[Chelsea Handler]

I think, yes, I'm very. I have a lot of authorship over what I do. I don't really like answering to people and I've managed to carve out a career where I don't have to answer to a lot of people. Even when I did really have to answer to people when I worked at companies, I didn't. You know what I mean?

[Audience Member]

Yeah. Oh, I know. Yeah, I'm aware.

[Chelsea Handler]

And everyone is aware of that. So.

[Audience Member]

No, I'm aware. I'm the same way.

[Chelsea Handler]

Oh, yeah. Okay, good. I thought you were saying everyone knew about me. I'm like, I guess they probably did. But no, I'm good at being my own manager. I mean, I have my podcasts, I have my books, I tour my standup, I have my residency in Vegas. I do everything the way I wanna do it. I'm going on a European tour this year, like my first in years. Once the election was announced, I'm like, I guess I'll go to Europe. And spent some time apologizing to our allies, our European allies, who we love so much. Thank you for your support over all this time. So I'm gonna go do some public service work over there. And yeah, I'm very.

[Audience Member]

In Canada.

[Chelsea Handler]

In Canada. I have a house in Canada. Yes. As a backup plan once we become the 51st state. I don't know what kind of plan that is. But yes, I'm very ambitious. I've always wanted to have a big, full life and I feel like I am having a lot.

[Audience Member]

When to decide, when to not do things, when to stop doing them.

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, if I'm just doing something for a paycheck and I don't feel any sort of creative stimulation, I don't do it. I learned that lesson a long time ago, not to just take money because it's offered to you. You have to be a little bit discerning about what kind of what you want to put out there. And I'm reliable in the sense that I'm always elevating myself. And there's an evolution. It's not just the same shtick over and over again, it's a more evolved shtick. And I'm growing up, I'm 50 years old now, so I have different things to say and my ambition is different. I'm on solid ground. I've been around the block so many times. I know myself, I know what I'm capable of, I know what my strengths are. And I'm not shy and I'm not apologizing about any of it anymore. And I'm not trying to. People, please. I don't get caught up in other people's opinions. And yeah, you can say I've always been like that, but I really feel like that now. I'm impressed with me now. So that's all I need.

[Audience Member]

That's true. So, but one of the things you talked about, you've been as you've been successful, you felt like you weren't grounded and you were going to therapy in the book, but you lost confidence and you were second guessing yourself. You talk about this and you had a panic attack. Tell us the story of how you realized therapy had become part of the problem.

[Chelsea Handler]

Therapy didn't. It wasn't, didn't become part of the problem, it just is. So when you go to therapy, it's so ironic because I went to therapy to get my head out of my ass. I felt too self involved and self absorbed. But then you go to therapy and you have to spend hours ad infinitum talking about yourself. So it's kind of hard to get away from yourself. But that is the process to understand and gain some self awareness and reflection and understand why you do the things you do. It's not the most pleasant process for anyone here who hasn't been to therapy. I'm assuming many of you have and you understand what I mean. That is. It's dirty. You find out ugly truths about yourself and it's up to you to decide if you wanna step it up and level it up and become the better version, the 2.0 version of yourself. And I did want that. I wanted to learn and grow and be stronger and more compassionate and patient with idiots. I wanna be patient when somebody's stupid. I wanna be nice to them. I don't wanna go. Why are you so fucking stupid? You know what I mean? I wanted to learn that and I have learned it now. I'm nice to stupid people.

[Audience Member]

Really?

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah. I have patience. I understand that something may have happened to them.

[Audience Member]

I'm still stuck in.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, it's hard, I know.

[Audience Member]

I don't want to leave there.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, yeah. So, you know, ignorance and stupidity, two different things sometimes.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, that's true, that's true. But after the panic attack, you decided to spend more time alone.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yes.

[Audience Member]

And you began rereading self help books that you could find. And you write that most self help books pretty much say the same things, but certain ideas resonate. What stuck with you?

[Chelsea Handler]

The idea of putting out positivity and energy, like your energy field. You know, I always thought that was kind of annoying to hear about. And then you realize that it's scientific. Actually. When you have positive thoughts, you're stronger, you're healthier, you're optimistic, you have a different look on your face and you attract more positivity. And there's a magnetism there. And that is true. And the scientific. And your energy is not imagined, you know, it's not in anyone's imagination. So learning about that in a scientific way was very helpful to me because it's the power of positive thinking. It's the power of being optimistic in the dark and not going down a wormhole. Like, you know, the first Trump presidency, for instance. I let it take me down and I let it steal my joy. And I'm not gonna do that again. You don't get my joy again, you know.

[Audience Member]

So how do you prevent that? A lot of people, I get contacted people all the time. I know, what am I gonna do now?

[Chelsea Handler]

I know. I know you do. I was just sitting backstage asking you the same thing, what do we do now? But we'll figure out what we're gonna do. It's just, it's one foot in front of the other. Everything is happening so fast. I don't doubt that we're gonna get organized and figure hell to do. I'm ready. Let's go. I mean, did anyone vote for Elon Musk to be the president? I mean, can't we come together, Republicans and Democrats, and say we don't want that? Can't we agree on that at least?

[Audience Member]

We can. We can, absolutely. Do you feel political right now? Do you feel like you're in a like. Because a lot of people want to just check out, like.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I relate to that a lot. I feel a little Disassociated right now. I mean, and it's hard. You know, you're promoting something and everything is happening in the background. It's like two different elements of my life. Like, I want something, I'm promoting something that's very joyful and happy. I have my standup special coming out, another joyful, happy thing. And with this as the backdrop. And it makes me realize, like, you know, what my purpose is here is to bring a little bit light and levity and remind people to double down on your love to others and kindness and compassion to all of the groups that are being targeted because people are really scared. And I hate that. I don't want people to feel that way. So what I can do in this moment is to be strong and be a beacon of light to people that feel hopeless and let them know they're not alone and that we're together. We're gonna be together. And we have more people than they do. I know that. I know more people are good than they are terrible. I believe that. And I don't believe all Republicans are terrible. I just think I do think Trump is terrible.

[Audience Member]

So let's pay back to the parenting advice which runs throughout the book. Actually, you pay for your extended family's vacations. It sounds like a lot of fun. You noticed the kids were being entitled and so you wrote a letter where you reminded them some basic etiquette which I'm going to have you raise my kids. You wrote, do not consume copious amounts of alcohol, that you did not pay for leaving the adults with no alcohol on multiple occasions. This is not a way to get invited back. This is solid advice, I have to say. How did your siblings react to you?

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, it's their fault. Any child's behavior is their parents fault. So that letter was to my siblings as well. It was a letter after a vacation where the kids just treated this house that I rented on Martha's Vineyard that was so beautiful and so well appointed. And these people did not wanna rent their home. And my nieces and nephews were just so spoiled and entitled. And then I realized I was part of the problem for providing them with these vacations every year. Wanting to spoil them, wanting to like, you know, show them how special life could be and how great it is to be successful. And then I realized, oh, I'm part of the problem. So then I started taking the kids away without their parents and so I can tell them how it is. And that's been going well too. I mean, my siblings don't like it. Cause they're not going on the trips anymore. But I blame it on their bad parenting.

[Audience Member]

Right.

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Okay.

[Audience Member]

So thank you.

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm gonna write a book called Hot Parenting Tips.

[Audience Member]

Well, let me have some. You know how to talk to kids, maybe because you've actually taken parenting classes.

[Chelsea Handler]

I took parenting classes.

[Audience Member]

I never taken a parenting class.

[Chelsea Handler]

I took online parenting classes for my ex boyfriend's daughter.

[Audience Member]

Okay.

[Chelsea Handler]

So I wanted to be. I wanted to understand children better. And, you know, I thought you could, you know, threaten them and that would. Or you could bribe them. I'd be like, if you do this, I'll give you this. And it's not about that at all. It's about being consistent, and it's about meeting their moments. And when they're angry and they're mad, you never match their anger and their madness. You just show up with love, like, oh, you're in a terrible mood. I still love you. I'm still sitting right here. I'm not going anywhere. So you can be as mad as you want, but I love you.

[Audience Member]

So what are the top three mistakes you see parents make?

[Chelsea Handler]

Well, first of all, people don't see their own children clearly. They are so biased. So you can't parent when it's your own child because you can't see how damaging it is. So good luck, I guess. No, but just treating children like human beings instead of children or adults really meeting them where they are, being on their level. If they're on the ground, get on the ground and sit with them and be interested in what they're talking about. Everyone just wants to be seen. Every person wants to be seen. That's really the truth of the matter. And when you feel seen, then you feel like yourself and you don't feel judged, and you can express yourself. And that's what we want. We want everyone to be. I want everyone to have, like, an injection of confidence and feeling seen. Like that really makes a difference in a kid's life.

[Audience Member]

It does, absolutely.

[Chelsea Handler]

I had one teacher who just told me that I was gonna be the shit. Her name was Mrs. Schectman. She died last year in Florida. And she made me believe in myself. And I was the youngest of six kids. So there was a lot of neglect. And there was. I mean, it wasn't a terrible childhood by any means, but there was a lot of neglect. They didn't pick me up from school. They'd forget about me all the time.

[Audience Member]

Well, you were number six.

[Chelsea Handler]

I was number six. Yeah. And so I don't know why my mom didn't know about birth control, but she did it. And my teacher really instilled in me what I was gonna amount to and that I was going to be something. And I will never forget those words of encouragement. So when I look at any young child who's been neglected, I want to be that person for them.

[Audience Member]

You should write a parenting book.

[Chelsea Handler]

I know. I just said that. Carol, pay attention.

[Audience Member]

I know, but really, you should.

[Chelsea Handler]

Sitting right across from you with a microphone and you're not even listening, but.

[Audience Member]

You'Re not actually doing it right now.

[Chelsea Handler]

No, I don't have. I'm not writing a book right now. I'm promoting this book. Give me a minute.

[Audience Member]

All right?

[Chelsea Handler]

Jesus. My God, how much can I do? What do you think I am? You.

[Audience Member]

That's true. You also write openly about your love life. And you talk in the book how your relationship with comedian Jo Koy changed the way you look at love, even though it didn't work out. And although you want to find romantic love, you thought to yourself, men are becoming unfuckable. Talk about that.

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm still having lots of sex with men, so they're not completely unfuckable. You read about that and no, it's not all men. I don't want to be. I'm not a man hater. I just. We understand what's happening in this world, and it's pretty obvious. And I'm. Yes, I like a variety of men. I like men in my life. I'm not a settle down kind of girl. I don't see that happening for myself ever. I mean, I'll never say never. What's a little bit about. I mean, you know, whenever I'm in a relationship, I think, oh, this would be nice. And then eventually I'm done with that relationship. So I'm just not that type of person. I'm not a gonna get married, spend my life with someone person. I like a little bit of. I like a lot of alone time. And then I like to come together and, you know, and I just have different desires. I used to think that something was wrong with me, and now I realize I'm totally norma that a lot of people feel that way. And so I'm saying it because I want people to know you're not alone. If you feel that way, you don't have to find a soulmate. It's okay.

[Audience Member]

But in a lot of ways, you're still the same person. Tell the Woody Allen story from this book. It's the best. It's one of the best Woody Allen.

[Chelsea Handler]

I Went to a dinner, was with Katie Couric. Katie tells this story. She told the story differently, and I'll tell you how she tells it, but Katie and I went to this dinner, and there was all these random people in New York City, and I'm sitting at a cross, and there's two empty seats across from me, and I'm up against this wall in this restaurant, and in comes Su Previn and Woody Allen. And I'm like, oh, no. Like, I can't do this. There's no way that I will get through this dinner. Were you.

[Audience Member]

Dinner. Were you aware of this?

[Chelsea Handler]

No, I didn't know they were coming. I saw them walking the restaurant, and then they're walking toward the table, and I'm like, no, no, no. And I'm kicking Katie under the table. I'm like, oh, no. I'm gonna have an outburst. Like, I'm going to. There's no way you can seat me across from Woody Allen. And she's like, can you wait? And I'm like, wait for what? And she's like, can you at least just wait to the end of the dinner? And I was like, I could try. And, I mean, I did. I was like, that's to, like, hold myself, you know, to exercise some sort of patience. And so I did. I waited and I waited and I waited. And I was asking him, like, I'm not fake at all. And I was being so fraudulent. I was asking him questions about all the movies he directed, and then I mistakenly thought he directed Annie. And I was asking him about that, and he was answering the questions, which doesn't make any sense. It was Annie hall, not Annie. Yeah. And I didn't say Annie Hall. I was asking about Annie, and he was talking about Annie. But of course. I mean, you know, of course he was, because that's another little girl. Anyway, he. At the end of the dinner, they passed around BlackBerry cobbler. The server came in and plated everyone's BlackBerry cobbler. And then I was like, you're gonna get it now. And then Woody Allen took a bite of his BlackBerry cobbler, and I leaned in and said to him, and soon Yi. So how did you two meet? That's great. I slept like a baby that night. I really did. I was like. And then Katie was retelling the story. Katie Couric. And she was saying. She's like, I guess Chelsea forgot how they met, because she asked them, how did they meet? I'm like, no, Katie, I didn't forget how they met. That was very pointed.

[Audience Member]

Oh, Katie.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I know. Katie and I go back and forth on this all the time. Like, I just forgot how they met.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. And the reaction.

[Chelsea Handler]

He spit BlackBerry cobbler out of his mouth. He was laughing. And then I got up and then she's kind of out of it. Soon Yi. I don't know what her story is, but she wasn't very present. Like, she was just kind of all over the place. So I don't know if she heard me or not, but I was leaving anyway at that point. I just had to say that before I did leave. And then Katie was like, time to go.

[Audience Member]

So he laughed at your joke?

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, he did laugh. He did laugh. But, you know, I wasn't laughing with him. I was laughing at him.

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[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

I love that story. I wish I could do that. I'm gonna do that now. You've taken.

[Chelsea Handler]

You do that to people all the time.

[Audience Member]

All the time. I do, I do. But that one.

[Chelsea Handler]

Thank you. I was proud of that moment.

[Audience Member]

I wish I had. Well, I've never had that.

[Chelsea Handler]

I had a moment like that with Piers Morgan once. I was proud of that too.

[Audience Member]

What did you do to him?

[Chelsea Handler]

He was interviewing me and I just said, you're such an asshole. You know, he was reading his phone. This has been around the Internet, so I'm sure some of you have seen this. And he's like reading his phone while he's talking to me. Yeah. And I'm like, you're a terrible interviewer. What are you inviting me on your show so you can read your phone? He's like, what? What? What? And he's like, well, maybe you're not interesting enough. I'm like, that's a you problem. You invited me here. You have to ask me questions to. To so that I can answer them instead of reading the fucking Internet, you loser. So that. That was good. That went viral. I like that moment as well. He deserves that. Cuz he really is an asshole.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, I would agree with you on that one. Foreign.

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[Audience Member]

So let's talk about the business of being Chelsea Hannah. A few things. This is the seventh consecutive New York Times bestselling book. Your publishing phenomenon. You grew up reading Moby Dick and a bunch of other books as a child.

[Chelsea Handler]

My father forced me to read these big books when I was like 8 and 7 years old. They were so inappropriate. I read Anna Karenina by Tolstoy when I was 8. I had to give a book report in our kitchen. And then I had to read Moby Dick. And then he made me read east of Eden by John Steinbeck. When I was eight, I wanted to kill my father. I had nothing in common with any of my colleagues at school. I would go, they would be like, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. I'm like, which one, China or Berlin? I had nothing, no relatability to like 6 year olds.

[Audience Member]

How do you think when you write, you know, sort of about art versus commerce when you're writing?

[Chelsea Handler]

I don't think. I don't think that if you're not being authentically who you are, if you're me and you make a living at being yourself, you have to be very honest and very. I have to show all the good, the bad, the ugly. That's what the people that respect me and are looking to consume my stuff are looking for, is honesty. And that is what I base everything off of. I'm gonna give you the honest truth of what's happening in my life right now. I'm gonna make you laugh. I'm gonna hopefully inspire you. And I'm probably gonna make you cry, too. And I'm gonna do all of those things and I'm gonna be very intentional about it. It's not, yes, I'm making a living, but I'm not for sale.

[Audience Member]

Is there anything you don't share?

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, certain people want to be private. So, you know, some people, I don't tell their secrets. You know, I had. It took me a long time to understand that my stories are not always just my stories, they're other people's stories, private people. And not everybody wants their story over the loudspeaker. So I've learned to. To shroud people's identities and to be respectful of people who don't wanna be in the public eye. So, you know, my relationships with men, for instance, I don't want anyone to even have to deal with what I deal with. People can't deal with that. They wouldn't last two days, you know, So I like to keep like my romantic interests. Like now I've had a public relationship. Like, I hope I don't do that again.

[Audience Member]

Right. Have another one where you.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I hope I don't date another public person.

[Audience Member]

Okay. All right. Besides the book, as you said, you have a line of vodka lemonades, you got a stand.

[Chelsea Handler]

Netflix. My new stand up Special comes out March 25th.

[Audience Member]

25Th. It's called the Feeling.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's called the Feeling?

[Audience Member]

Yeah, the Feeling. You've got a podcast. Dear Chelsea, this European tour, what are the real money makers here? Stack rank them and give me a sense of how each fits into your overall business strategy.

[Chelsea Handler]

Oh, well, Kara, why not? Because I don't know. Honestly, I don't know.

[Audience Member]

You don't actually know?

[Chelsea Handler]

No, I mean, I have to really think about how much money I make off of it. I make a good living.

[Audience Member]

Right, I get that. But what does best for you from.

[Chelsea Handler]

That'S surprise touring, probably standard. Yeah. You make the most. You make cash and you go around, you know, I mean, not European, that's kind of just, you know. But in America, you know, you do 100 shows, you make a lot of.

[Audience Member]

Money and that's your best still remains. Has it changed over time? Is podcasting or anything Podcasting?

[Chelsea Handler]

I make a lot of money doing that too. I mean, I've been doing my podcast for a long time, but touring is where the, you know, you make the most money.

[Audience Member]

Are you surprised by how well comics are doing online?

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I love it. I mean, look at how many female comics are coming up. I mean, I have so many amazing fierce female comic. They're all here at the festival too that are coming up that open for me that I see that have specials out like it is a turning into a very level playing field. We are not there yet, but it is turning into a level playing field. A more level.

[Audience Member]

Do you lean into online more like YouTube specials, things like that? Obviously this is on Netflix, which is a streamer, but how do you think about that?

[Chelsea Handler]

For me personally, I just you know, that's a. Netflix is the place to be right now for Stand Up.

[Audience Member]

It used to be hbo.

[Chelsea Handler]

It used to be hbo. Yeah. Then it was Netflix, and now all these other people are trying to. But it's still Netflix. That's where people go to watch specials. And it's in the most households. So if you want an international business, you want to be on a platform that has the most households, obviously. And I have a long relationship with Netflix. I've been working for them since they started. I did their first talk show. I did a bunch of documentaries for Netflix. I did Ayahuasca on Netflix. Yeah. I did one about white privilege. I've done a lot of really interesting things at Netflix, and so we have a great working relationship, and I'm happy to do my standup specials there and any other business I do, any other TV stuff I might have coming down the road, that's not, you know, I'm not exclusive to Netflix. Then I would go pitch it to other outlets, and you find the best partner.

[Audience Member]

The Stand up special, you get in some topics covered in the book, but it's tonally, it's edgier.

[Chelsea Handler]

How do you.

[Audience Member]

Do you think the audience that reads your books versus the one that watches you in Stand Up? Do you think you have an overlap there with the audiences?

[Chelsea Handler]

I'm sure there's an overlap. I mean, you know, some of this. There's overlap in some of the material, because when you're writing a book, you can really set the scene. You can set the characters, you can set the dialogue. You can get into real details about certain situations. And Stand Up. Your driving force is the punchline and the joke of the story and the funny. But they're both, you know, I'm a storyteller. I'm telling my personal story. So there's definitely, you know, the Cuomo. My almost penetration with Governor Cuomo. Yeah, that was great in Stand up and in the book.

[Audience Member]

Are you gonna go back to that now that he's running for mayor?

[Chelsea Handler]

Is he running for mayor? No. No. I'm not interested in Andrew Cuomo anymore, but I was for a hot minute when everyone else was during COVID I.

[Audience Member]

Like that you kept texting even though there was no response.

[Chelsea Handler]

I did, too. I liked that I was doing that, too. It was funny. My family's like, you have no shame. I'm like, who gives a shit? You know what I mean? This is gonna be a really funny story.

[Audience Member]

The one with President. You did one with President Bush saying, I'm good enough For a president, but not a governor.

[Chelsea Handler]

Once I was at President Bush's house at Kenny Bunkport. I took a selfie with him and sent it to Andrew Cuomo, and I said, good enough for a president, but not good enough for a governor. Yeah.

[Audience Member]

What if he texted you right now?

[Chelsea Handler]

Andrew Cuomo?

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

Oh, I don't give a shit about Andrew Cuomo anymore. I'm long. I mean, that's the thing about heartbreak, you know, you forget about him. I mean, out with the old, in with the new. I've had my heart broken many times since then.

[Audience Member]

Well, you missed that bullet, I think.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I did. I dodged that bullet. As my sister says, mom is up. Our. Our dead mother is upstairs in heaven making sure I don't get canceled. I'm like, really? By cock blocking me on the ground.

[Audience Member]

That was a good one, though.

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah. She's not wrong. My mom is protecting me.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, that's true.

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, if I had been with him, I might have gotten canceled, too.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

But now he's back, so.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, there you have it.

[Chelsea Handler]

There you go.

[Audience Member]

No one gets canceled, really. So streamers are famously guarded with their data, which gives it a lot of leverage. I recently interviewed Ben Stiller about 7, and he talked about how strange it was to essentially fly blind when you're negotiating with streamers of no data on viewership. How do you think about it? Do you do that yourself or do you let your agents.

[Chelsea Handler]

I get data on my viewership. Yeah. They give it to you. I mean, I think they play games when you're negotiating to not give it to you or they underplay it maybe, but I don't know. It's kind of information that's accessible at this point. You can't. There's nothing secret anymore.

[Audience Member]

Let's end up talking about politics again. Last time. How do you tackle him? Comedians tackle him.

[Chelsea Handler]

Now Trump.

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, Trump is just the same as he's always been. He's a buffoon. You know, he's an orange orangutan. I mean, he's. What is there more? There's nothing. There's no new information.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's the same old shit. You know, you have to tell him he's wonderful and great, and then he's nice to you. And watching world leaders, like, watching him threaten the world and make enemies out of our allies is horrifying. That's not what we want. We don't want to be. We're not in bed with Russia. That's not what America stands for. America has not accomplished what we were set out to do this democracy and this dream of democracy. We still have not accomplished it. It's an idea of what could be. We've never been it. It's the idea. So we are still going to go in that direction of that idea after these four years are over. I hope we're still in a position that we are still going after the ideal of Americanism and what that means and that we find some common ground with Republicans, because this doesn't work anymore. It's like this fighting and this hatefulness is not getting us anywhere. So we have to figure out what the next solution is or the next step for a solution is. And I don't have the answer to that.

[Audience Member]

So when I last interviewed, you said, we're having a social justice and racial justice movement that's clearly over. We seem to be in the middle of a different thing. Many comedians, especially white male comedians with podcasts, are full on Trump supporters, Trump adjacent and Trump Joe Rogan, Theo Vaughn, Tim Dillon, and Andrew Schultz.

[Chelsea Handler]

I just did Theo Vaughn's podcast and we did not discuss Donald Trump.

[Audience Member]

Right.

[Chelsea Handler]

Didn't come up once.

[Audience Member]

Wow, interesting.

[Chelsea Handler]

I was totally fine if it had come up, but he didn't bring it up because obviously, why would he.

[Audience Member]

Do you think some are scared? You host the Critics Choice Awards. You basically implied Melania Trump was a sex worker. I think that's the new word now. But Trump there.

[Chelsea Handler]

She's a flight attendant. She's a flight attendant.

[Audience Member]

But Trump was very mention at the Oscars. Do you think Hollywood is gonna meet the moment? Comics are gonna meet the moment?

[Chelsea Handler]

Yeah, I don't think. I think we're kind of. I think Hollywood's kind of doing its own thing and moving forward in its own thing. And Hollywood has a big impact on social justice, and it has a big impact on what we see and the stories that are being told and representing all of the people that are being targeted by this administration. So. So I think Hollywood is kind of a nice antidote to this administration in many ways.

[Audience Member]

Right. But do you see pulling back or are you scared in any way to do that?

[Chelsea Handler]

I mean, I'm sure I'm a target, but am I pulling back?

[Audience Member]

No, clearly not.

[Chelsea Handler]

No, no, I'm not gonna pull back. I mean, I like to make sure when I'm making comments about these things that there's a point to it, not just sounding off and bitching and moaning, because that I realized during the last administration how futile that. And you're wasting your words, you know, and your energy. So it's important to be like. It's important to have a mission and understand when to speak up and what to say when you're speaking up and not to just be screaming the whole time.

[Audience Member]

So, last question. Semi clad skiing is your birthday tradition. Any working now that you're 50? Happy belated birthday.

[Chelsea Handler]

Thank you.

[Audience Member]

Are you working on any new traditions?

[Chelsea Handler]

New traditions?

[Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Handler]

No.

[Audience Member]

You like skiing naked?

[Chelsea Handler]

I ski in bathing suits a lot. I'm not naked anymore. My nephew's asked me to not do that again. And. And I said it's very. I said, you guys should take it as a compliment that your friends are talking about my body in that way. Like, I'm very relevant to your teenage friends. And they're like, we don't want to hear them talking about your boobs. And I'm like, okay, this is exactly why I didn't have children, so that nobody could tell me what to do. But now I have to. You know, they're my nephews. I don't want them to be embarrassed about me. So I put my top on. I don't ski naked anymore, but I do ski in a bathing suit with a joint and a margarita every birthday. Yeah.

[Audience Member]

And I think it's a great. You're gonna continue it into your 16.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's a song of freedom for women, you know, everywhere. It's like, come on, I'll have what I'm having.

[Audience Member]

What's the title of your book that you Release on your 60th birthday?

[Chelsea Handler]

The wheels are off, but the train is still going. I don't know.

[Audience Member]

All right, on that note, Chelsea Handle.

[Chelsea Handler]

Thank you. That was fun, Carol.

[Kara Swisher]

On with Kara Swisher is produced by Kristen Castor Wiseel, Kateri Yocum, Dave Shaw, Megan Burney, Megan Cunane, and Kalyn Lynch. Nishat Kurwa is Vox Media's executive producer of audio. Special thanks to Kate Gallagher. Our engineers are Rick Kwan and Fernando Arruda, and our theme music is by Trackademics. If you're already following the show, you get a skiing invite from Chelsea. LSD optional. If not, you're stuck on a lift with Piers Morgan. Morgan, go wherever. You listen to podcasts, search for on with Kara Swisher and hit follow. Thanks for listening to on with Kara Swisher from New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast network, and us. We'll be back on Monday with more.

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