Chelsea Handler isn’t letting her breakup with Jo Koy change her perspective on love.
During an appearance on the podcast “Now What? with Brooke Shields” on December 27, Handler discussed how her divorce from Koy inspired her Netflix special “Chelsea Handler: Revolution.”
“It’s about me losing faith in men and all the reasons why, and then meeting Jo Koy and renewing my faith in men,” Handler explained. “And then, even if it doesn’t work out, not to shut down and close off, not to use a failed relationship or a relationship that didn’t last as an excuse to say, ‘(expletive) it. ‘I’m back on my own.'”
She went on: “I do want to be in a relationship. It’s okay for me to admit that I’ve learned and grown so much that I’ve had a taste of what that togetherness feels like, and I want it again.”
Handler and Koy split up on social media in July, with both comics sharing heartfelt messages about their relationship.
Handler and Koy had known each other for nearly 20 years before they started dating, according to Handler in an October 2021 episode of her “Dear Chelsea” podcast. When he appeared on her late-night talk show, “Chelsea Lately,” Handler teased that she had feelings for him.
Let’s take a look back at some of the couple’s most memorable relationship moments.
Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy have announced their split.
Handler and Koy used social media to announce their breakup in a unique way. In July, Handler posted an Instagram video of the now-ex-couple celebrating their first anniversary early, while also announcing their amicable split in the caption.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that we have agreed that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship for the time being,” Handler wrote. “I know many of you were invested in our love, and I wanted to thank you for your support. What it still means. And how much I believe in love for each of us now.”
Koy addressed the split with a photo of the two holding their dogs on his Instagram page.
“I just want everyone to know that Chelsea and I will always be great friends and love each other,” Koy wrote. “I’m her biggest fan, and I can’t wait to see what she has planned for the future. Chelsea, keep it up! Thank you very much!”
Chelsea Handler discusses the emotional toll of Jo Koy’s breakup.
Handler discussed the emotional toll the split was taking on her on the “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle” podcast in July, as well as her optimism for the future.
“I’ve changed a lot. My love was so powerful that it literally blew me open “said Handler. “As painful as the end of something like that is, I’m so well versed in therapy and understanding that every door closing is a new beginning that I truly believe it.”
Handler explained that she had grown accustomed to compromising and making Koy the centre of her life.
“But you can’t change someone from the inside out. So I was willing to bend so much, but there’s a limit. And I’m very proud of myself for not allowing myself to cross that line “said Handler.
‘Solid night’ on a Manhattan boat
They shared a photo from a lunch date on a boat in New York City in June. “If you’ve never had a long lunch on a boat in Manhattan while it’s docked, you’re missing out,” Handler wrote alongside a photo of the two smiling with the city skyline in the background.
Joy “did stand-up, while sitting down and entertaining the entire bar,” Handler wrote, as the couple ate oysters and made friends. “We stayed for hours and felt like we were in Hawaii before heading over to Joe’s for some pizza to round out our Manhattan night.”