CHELSEA HANDLER
Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard St.
When: Friday, March 8, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $35.50-$159.50 from the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre box office (250-220-7777) or
When a comedian perfectly lands a joke before thousands of rabid fans, it’s a rush like nothing else, according to Chelsea Handler.
“That’s the art of the comedy,” she said during an interview with the Times 91原创. “Especially after COVID, I feel like there’s a sense of responsibility to bring the joy, to bring the vibes, to bring the laughter. To make everybody forget about things for a few hours, and light up the room. That’s my job. And I’m very good at having fun. I take it seriously. I take my fun very seriously.”
Indeed she does. Take, for example, her annual birthday video, which she has posted to her social media channels each February in recent years. In the clips, the Livingston, New Jersey, native can be seen on a ski hill in Whistler, drink in one hand, joint in the other, carving out the mountainside — while in her actual birthday suit, on occasion. It’s the type of unvarnished, non-Hollywood activity you rarely see from a New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed TV host who has made the influential Time 100 list for her contributions to standup comedy.
At times during her career, the former Chelsea Lately host adopted a dangerous speak-first, think-later approach to comedy. In the hands of a lesser talent, that would have worn out her welcome (women in comedy are not often afforded the same artistic leeway as men, which is an affront Handler tackles frequently in her act.) But with more than 20 years in the game at this point, the socio-cultural activist is done worrying about what others think.
“People always have problems with my behaviour,” she said. “That’s not going to stop me.”
Handler, 49, was on the phone from her ski chalet in Whistler, where she spends a portion of each year. She first visited the area 11 years ago, and now does extended stays on the mountain. “I like skiing, so that’s my thing. And it’s not America, so it’s a jackpot. It’s the best of all worlds.” She arrives each Christmas, and remains stationed in her chalet — aside from brief departures for work — until April.
“I go back to LA when I have to work, but typically I like not to be disturbed.”
Handler has been taking brief breaks from Whistler since January for 91原创 stops on her Little Big Bitch Tour. The run, which brings her to Victoria for the first time ever Friday, has been criss-crossing North America since October, and was extended due to popular demand. She’s playing everything from large theatres and auditoriums to small arenas on the tour, a footprint befitting a podcaster and performer who earned a Grammy Award nomination for her 2021 album, Evolution, culled from her 2020 HBO Max standup special of the same name.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, really it doesn’t matter if it’s 100 people or 10,000 people,” Handler said of touring. “Yes, it’s a different vibe. But professionally, you do your thing. People are there to see you, so it’s not like I’m a surprise guest. With that in mind, it’s all the same. Once you have the skill set, you have the skill set. You don’t change it a lot, but you’re always adding and tweaking it.”
She’s debuting new material that was not part of the 2022 tour that resulted in Revolution, her Netflix standup special from 2022. Her new 90-minute set will be recorded at some point later in the tour, and will be the genesis of her next special, Handler said.
The Little Big Bitch Tour digs deep into her childhood, and was named as such for what she says are obvious reasons. “I was this way when I was born.”
Though successful and wealthy (she purchased one of her homes from actor Cheryl Hines and politician Robert Kennedy Jr. for nearly US $6 million in 2022, according to records), Handler’s material never betrays her audience. “People rely on me to share my most embarrassing situations,” she said with a laugh. “I definitely don’t shy away from that.”
The pop-culture powerhouse, who hosted the Critic’s Choice Awards in January for the second consecutive year, said therapy is making her better in all areas. Handler credits sessions with her therapist, which she undertook several years ago, for helping her progress as a person, and become a stronger comedian.
“Therapy helped me see that it’s not necessary to always give your input, in terms of inserting yourself [into conversations] and expressing your opinions all the time. You should pick your moments and be discerning about when you want to chime in or not. It’s a nicer way to be for me.”
Fans shouldn’t expect Handler to be any less acidic when she performs in Victoria tomorrow. On the Little Big Bitch Tour, she repudiates everyone from disgraced former standup comics to sexual predators. “I’m not going to give any guy a break who has been so disgusting with women,” she said of Jeffery Epstein, whose Manhattan mansion she visited with broadcaster Katie Couric in 2010 for a social function attended by Prince Andrew, Charlie Rose, and Woody Allen, among others.
“I end the show with a bunch of personal true stories about different celebrities I’ve interacted with, men who have been cancelled that I have had very close calls with. I’ve got a really funny Bill Cosby story — not a lot of people can say that,” she said dryly. “I’ve got a great Woody Allen story. I’ve got a story about meeting the president [George W. Bush] on three edibles. A lot of the good, personal adventure stories that I’m known for.”
