Chelsea Handler has admitted that working the late-night TV circuit turned her into a "self-absorbed lunatic." For eight years the 45-year-old comedian hosted "Chelsea Lately" but then exited the show to pursue her original passion for stand-up comedy, which resulted in her new HBO Max special "Chelsea Handler: Evolution." In an interview with Howard Stern, Handler explained that she chose to leave "Chelsea Lately" because there was no evolution in it.
"That's me in one format doing one thing that wasn't that interesting to me," she explained. "Listen, nobody could have enjoyed that period of time more than I did, I guarantee you."
Handler said she enjoyed working on the series for a time but then she "outgrew it."
"That's not to say I won't ever do it again. At that time in my life, it wasn't interesting, I was irritated all the time. I needed a break. I feel like my work since I left that show has had such a high level of integrity," she said.
"I'm working at a higher frequency than I was when I was just kind of winging it," Handler continued. "There's a lot more thought put into my work now, so I do believe that I'm in a better place and I like that I've grown up a lot. I'm not a self-absorbed lunatic anymore."
The actress explained that, although she had fun for a while on the show, she eventually got tired of discussing the latest celebrity gossip, which left her feeling empty and eventually downright mean. Running the show also became tedious for Handler.
"I was like, 'This is so stupid,'" she said. "I don't look back at it like I'm embarrassed by it, I just look back at it like that was then, I outgrew it."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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