Born in Livingston, New Jersey, to a Jewish father and Mormon mother, Chelsea Handler is the youngest of six children…all good material for a career in comedy. Not only was this disappointing on many levels, but she was also born just five and a half years after her sister Shoshanna burst onto the scene and had since embraced and relished in being the youngest of the Handler clan. Shoshanna was pissed that her parents had failed to use birth control and didn’t know why her mother Rita didn’t exercise her right to choose.
In July 2007 Chelsea broke into the world of male-dominated late-night talk shows with her E! Entertainment series, “Chelsea Lately,” airing weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Consistently the highest-rated program on E!, “Chelsea Lately” has been picked up through 2012, providing Chelsea with the perfect showcase for what she does best: comment on pop culture and entertainment news while interacting with the public. The daily program offers a tongue-in-cheek look at entertainment news, celebrity truths and rumors that just won’t die, and other hot topics of the day. Bringing refreshing new energy to the late night arena, “Chelsea Lately” is an authentic and hilarious commentary on the celebrity culture around us.
As one of the nation’s fastest-rising female stand-ups, Chelsea has performed to sold out -out audiences at venues and festivals everywhere most recently, the prestigious Carnegie Hall. Her comedy mixes fearless honesty, ironic riffs and self-deprecations with no shortage of material. In March 2007 her first half-hour stand-up special, airing on Comedy Central, was a ratings hit. She regularly appears on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” has co-hosted “The View,” was profiled on “Nightline,” and has appeared on “Today,” LIVE with Regis and Kelly” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”