After seven years on the late-night show “Chelsea Lately,” audiences wouldn’t see Chelsea Handler return to stand-up comedy for another six years. While visiting “Mike Birbiglia is Working,” Handler surprised the host by calling the absence an unforced error.
“Big mistake,” Handler said.
“Really?” Birbiglia exclaimed. “I thought you’d say it was a great idea!”
“No, now I think about it, and I’m like, wow, it would have been better to keep the ball rolling and get my shit together,” Handler replied. “In those six years, I got my shit together in a huge way, but I didn’t need to take a break for that long, and it affected—I had to re-route my audience, and so I wish I hadn’t.”
You can watch the interview clip below.
After hosting “The Chelsea Handler Show” for two seasons starting in 2006, Handler continued her relationship with E!, launching “Chelsea Lately” in 2007. “Chelsea Lately” ran for seven seasons, a half-hour midnight comedy show. The show gave stand-up comics the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd several times a week through their cold opens.
Shortly after “Chelsea Lately” ended its run in 2014, however, Handler took a break from stand-up. Despite working on several Netflix documentaries and other projects, Handler wouldn’t air a special until “Chelsea Handler: Evolution” premiered on HBO Max in October 2020.
This year, Handler released her Netflix special “Chelsea Handler: The Feeling” and her book “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” She also received a Critics’ Choice Award in February.
Birbiglia commiserated, sharing that he’s been on a three-month hiatus since his last stand-up special, to which Handler replied, “Oh, that’s nothing.” Indeed, Handler said that taking a break can be important for stand-up comics to maintain their craft.
“It’s interesting, because I think you experience feelings,” Birbiglia said.
“Well, you have to have a life too,” Handler replied. “You have to experience life, and I think the comedians I’ve definitely seen are that it can be consuming. That’s not how it is for me. It doesn’t consume me. I don’t need to be on stage. I’m perfectly happy and more well-rounded, and I’m happier and happier.”
“But time off is just as important as time.”
