Chelsea Handler believes straight men are threatened by her non-conforming lifestyle.
Known for hosting the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately for seven years until 2014, the 49-year-old joined Kelly Ripa for the latest installment of her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast.
One discussion in particular centered on Handler’s attitude towards marriage and kids; consciously deciding to experience neither in favor of “freedom.”
According to her, this has resulted in significant backlash from a section of society.
Chelsea Handler speaks onstage during the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024. She’s told podcaster Kelly Ripa that her unconventional lifestyle is a “threat” to men.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
She explained to her host: “I just have this sense of freedom in my life that I don’t feel enough women celebrate.
“So when I started celebrating it and getting the feedback from so many women who feel the same way, and then the feedback from all these idiot men saying I’m not really happy and shame on me because I’m spreading terrible messaging to women, that just obviously gave me even more of a motivation to do it.”
Ripa, who recently irritated partner Mark Consuelos by kicking him in the crotch whilst trying to master a stunt for TV, responded by asking Handler why she thinks guys get so worked up by her social campaigning.
“I’m a threat,” she stated. “I’m a threat to a lot of straight men who don’t have enough self-confidence. You shouldn’t find it threatening, you should find it empowering that I’m spreading this message to other women; if you want to have a baby, for sure get one, but if you don’t want to have a baby that’s valid too.
“Your value is not dependent on whether or not you’re married and your value is not dependent on whether you procreate. I want to spread joy and positivity and I want women to feel valued. My purpose is to embolden and lift up women. I’m not here for men, that’s not my problem.”
This led Handler to declare that not living a traditional life has been “f****** awesome” for her. “I do get to be very selfish and I do get to be very selective about what I do, what’s wrong with that?” she said.
At the start of 2023, the star clapped back at Tucker Carlson and right-wing radio host Jesse Kelly for criticizing her “A Day in the Life of a Childless Woman” sketch on The Daily Show.
“You’re trying to pretend like you’re happy, but you’re not happy,” the latter had suggested, with Handler sharing in a reactionary social media video: “Wow. Why would I even need my own children when I get to hear these cry babies all the time?”
