Chelsea Handler’s Boyfriend: Everything to Know About Her Love Life
Chelsea Handler has never shied away from letting fans in on her love life. Here’s the scoop on who she is dating now and the men from her past.
Chelsea Handler, 48, has been one of the most accomplished standup comedians for years! After gaining tons of success from her E! series Chelsea Lately, fans have felt a special connection to her, and she’s gone on to much success, creating docu-series like Chelsea Does and Hello Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea for Netflix, in addition to a talk series and a comedy special called Uganda Be Kidding Me. Throughout her career, she’s also been open with her fans about her relationships, including her most recent one with ex-boyfriend, and fellow comic, Jo Koy.
Over a year after her split from Jo, Chelsea appeared to go public with her new boyfriend with a cuddly photo of the pair that she shared to her Instagram Story on September 27. Chelsea called the mystery man her “baby” and said that he’s “full of love and positivity and his body is my wonderland.”
However, Chelsea later clarified that she’s not dating the mystery man. “I did not announce new boyfriend on Instagram. That man is a bartender right next door to my house in Mallorca and that’s why he’s my baby,” she said in a video on her IG Story, confirming that she’s single at the moment.
Find out everything you need to know all of Chelsea’s exes below!
Ted Harbert
Early on in Chelsea’s career, she was romantically tied to former Comcast CEO (and head of E!) Ted Harbert, 68. The pair were together from 2005 until 2010. Ted has been a mainstay of the entertainment industry. He began his career working at ABC, where he eventually became chairman. He’s worked for other major companies, like NBC Studios, which he was the president of before becoming the president of E! Networks.
Ted was the president of E! when Chelsea’s iconic talk show Chelsea Lately premiered. She explained that the two broke up because there wasn’t enough separation of their work and personal life in a 2012 interview with Marie Claire. “I would come home from work, and Ted would be like, ‘Do you want to watch your show?’ and I’d be like, ‘No, I just came from my show. That’s the last thing I’d want to do.’ That was the reason it didn’t work out, ultimately. I think,” she said at the time.
50 Cent
After the split with Ted, Chelsea had a brief fling with rapper 50 Cent, 48. While details of their short-lived relationship are scarce, the pair seem to be on good terms with each other. When 50 showed support for then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, Chelsea mocked him by responding to a tweet by saying he “used to be my favorite ex-boyfriend.” 50 denounced him after Chelsea offered him another chance at love on The Tonight Show! Even though it was a public callout, it seemed very playful between the two.
Public argument aside, it does seem like Chelsea and the Get Rich or Die Trying rapper have a solid bond. When Chelsea was hospitalized for an unspecified health scare in February 2022, a source revealed to HollywoodLife exclusively that the rapper made sure she was alright. “When Fifty heard the news about Chelsea being hospitalized and canceling some of her shows he reached out to her to see if she was doing OK and to check up on her,” the source said. ““Fifty genuinely cares about Chelsea and he’ll always have her back no matter what.”
Andre Balazs
After the brief fling with 50 Cent, Chelsea had an on-and-off relationship with businessman and hotelier Andre Balazs, 66. Chelsea opened up about the first time the pair broke up in a 2012 appearance on Marc Maron‘sWTF podcast. She explained that between work and their relationship, the pair were having trouble making their relationship work. “He lived in New York and I lived in L.A., and it was a constant back and forth, flying and meeting each other,” she said, per Us Weekly. “It was just exhausting. But I prefer a long distance relationship because I don’t really want to deal with someone on a daily basis.”
The breakup in 2013 seemed like it was for good, after she spoke about the breakup with her pal Mary McCormack on Chelsea Lately, according to People. “Let’s talk about your single situation,” The West Wing star said on the show.
Jo Koy
Chelsea’s most recent ex is fittingly a fellow comedian! The Comin’ In Hot comic regularly appeared on Chelsea Lately over the years, so the two had a connection long before they started dating in 2021. Chelsea confirmed that the two were indeed an item in a September 2021 tweet announcing her “Vaccinated and Horny” tour, as she cozied up to Jo at a baseball game.
After the relationship started, the two funny people appeared absolutely smitten with each other. Chelsea gushed over Jo in an Instagram caption of a photo she posted of herself in Mallorca, Spain, where she showed how happy she was with everything in her life. “Just sitting here in Mallorca thinking about how grateful I am to have so many people that I love in my life, to live the life I do and to be going on tour doing what I love,” she wrote. “I’m finally in love, with the best kind of guy there is. There is hope for everyone! That kind of stuff.”
Sadly, on July 18, 2022 — what would have been their one-year anniversary — Chelsea revealed she and Jo had broken up. Alongside a cute video of the former couple, Chelsea wrote, “In anticipation of celebrating our first year together, Jo and I recorded this video early, but as many of you have noticed, it is with a heavy heart to announce that we have decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now. I know many of you were invested in our love, and I wanted to express to you how much that meant to both of us. How much it still means. And how much I now believe in love for each one of us. This man blew my heart open with love and because of him, my life experience has changed forever. To be loved and adored by @jokoy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I’ve never been more optimistic for the future.”
“Jo- you blew my creativity open, my lust for working hard again, being on the road again, and you reminded me who I was and always have been, and my feet have never been more firmly planted in the ground,” Chelsea continued. “This is not an ending. It’s another beginning, and it’s a comfort to know that I am still loved and love this man the way the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sun. YOUR PERSON IS COMING. So, please continue to root for both of us, because you never know what life will bring and let’s first start by all going to the theater on August 5th to buy tickets to Jo’s new movie EASTER SUNDAY and Filipino PRIDE! Let’s go!”
Jo spoke about the breakup on Today in August 2022. “Her and I have been friends forever, and it’s just like, we’re at that stage where we just realized that being friends is best,” he said. “Just because it’s a breakup doesn’t mean we have to, like, hate. It doesn’t even make sense! We were friends before this, so we’re always going to be friends.”