Award-winning comedian and actress Chelsea Handler gives us an inside look at her life, the inspiration behind her new book and more
EXCLUSIVE! Comedian Chelsea Handler’s Secrets to a Healthy, Holistic Life: “The Grace Is as Important as the Work”
Published on Apr. 30, 2025
Chelsea Handler is all about living life unapologetically and to the fullest. The multitalented actress, comedian, author, podcaster and TV host continues to be a powerhouse in the entertainment world. From her hit podcast Dear Chelsea to her recent Netflix comedy special The Feeling, which premiered in March, Handler shows no signs of slowing down. Add in a whirlwind of projects and passions that keep her mind sharp and her days packed, and it’s clear she’s mastered the art of balance. But how does she do it?
Reader’s Digest sat down with Handler to get an inside look at her everyday life. She opened up about everything from her hilarious new memoir, I’ll Have What She’s Having (inspired, in part, by flight attendants), to her joyful, child-free life spent with nieces, nephews and friends’ kids. She also dives into the wellness routines and hobbies that keep her grounded, all while staying true to her signature comedic edge. Oh—and she even shares one of her favorite, laugh-out-loud stories.
If you’re a fan of Chelsea Handler or just curious about her unfiltered style, this interview is packed with her most inspiring and side-splitting life secrets. Read on for a fun and surprisingly down-to-earth chat.
This in-person interview took place on April 16, 2025, and has been edited for length and clarity.
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Reader’s Digest: In an interview, you talked about your new book I’ll Have What She’s Having and how it’s dedicated to flight attendants. Why? And have you ever wanted to be one yourself?
Chelsea Handler: No, I’ve never wanted to be a flight attendant because I don’t want to be stuck in a tube of air with a bunch of strangers who are temperamental. But I have grown to appreciate their plight because I spend about a third of my life on planes—between touring and traveling—and I have witnessed all the things that they have to endure and deal with. I really wanted to shout that out because some of the things I’ve seen on planes are pretty unsettling—mostly men with bare feet walking from their seats to the bathroom. I’ve seen a woman drying her underwear on her tray table. I’ve seen somebody bring mussels on a plane and de-shelling them. So it’s pretty disturbing what’s going on on airplanes, and there needs to be some reform. We need to go back to the ’70s, when people treated flying with a little more decorum.
Reader’s Digest: When it comes to your day to day, how do you structure your agenda where you can focus on work and the things you enjoy?
Chelsea Handler: I think of everything more holistically—as a year. I don’t think about it day to day or week to week. If I’m going to work for three months or if I’m working on a project after I’m on tour, I look at what I’m going to do after that. Then I’ll get to take a month off or then I get to take two weeks off. I just took two weeks off and went to Whistler, where I spend my winters, because I love skiing and I have a little place there. I always just structure my life where I’m working really hard and playing really hard—not taking my life too seriously and not taking myself too seriously. Allow yourself to give grace. The grace is as important as the work.
Reader’s Digest: What advice do you have for those looking to pick up a new hobby and stay consistent?
Chelsea Handler: You have to find out what you’re into. Some people aren’t into skiing, and I totally understand that. Some people don’t like the cold. I also love reading. I have to read a lot for my podcast, but I also read a lot in my spare time. I can have, like, five books going at the same time—serious stuff, light stuff, autobiographies, biographical stuff, all of it. For each individual, it’s important to find out what moves you.
I’m big on walking outside every day, not as a hobby but as a lifestyle. When you really become passionate about your hobbies, they become part of your lifestyle. I don’t think of them as a hobby, just as part of my life.
Reader’s Digest: I was watching your Dear Chelsea podcast episode with comedian Kevin Hart. He touched on the importance of loyalty and staying connected with people who have helped him on his journey. With your busy lifestyle, do you find it easy to stay in touch with past and current connections?
Chelsea Handler: Loyalty is important to me. It always has been. If that’s not part of the back and forth between a friendship, then that’s probably not going to be a close friendship. Loyalty stands the test of time, and it’s important to show up for other people, especially when it’s inconvenient for yourself. A lot of us are there when it’s easy for us to be there but not when it’s difficult.
I have a lot of long-standing relationships. I also have relationships that were long-standing and ended. My outlook on that is to never hold on too tightly to anything and it’s OK if a friendship ends. Not every friendship is meant to be there your entire life. Sometimes you’re the main character of your story, and sometimes you’re the main character of someone else’s story.
Reader’s Digest: You’ve talked about not wanting children, but you’re still always around kids, especially with your nieces and nephews. What is your experience like living as the fun auntie?
Chelsea Handler: I have lots of kids in my life that aren’t my nieces and nephews. I talk a lot about that in my recent book because people think because I don’t have children, I hate children. In Whistler, my house is like a camp. Kids are coming in and out. I have 11-year-old boys [and] I have 22 year-old boys that all come over to my house after skiing. They go upstairs in my living room playing video games. I have 17-year-old twins that are my friend’s daughters that come and stay with me for the weekend. I spend a lot of times with kids. It keeps you youthful and up to speed with all the words everyone is using. You have to understand that when somebody tells you, “You ate,” that it’s not about food.
This is the unsung part of being childless: You have so much more bandwidth to spend time with children who are in your life—my nieces and nephews, of course, but I also like to spend it with other kids who don’t have the same opportunities my nieces and nephews have.
Reader’s Digest: Your most recent Netflix comedy special, The Feeling, came out in March. Is there anyone that inspires you or parallels your comedic style?
Chelsea Handler: I’m unparalleled. I’m inspired by every woman. I’m inspired by everyone’s story and their originality. I’m inspired by people who are unapologetic about the way they live. I want all women to feel the self-assurance that I feel. I try to do that with all my creative endeavors. You don’t have to tell or explain to everybody the choices you make.
Reader’s Digest: What is one joke you’ve been told recently that made you laugh?
Chelsea Handler: This isn’t a joke, but I flew yesterday from Canada and there was a man next to me who drank three Rum and Cokes at, like, 9 a.m. I thought that was funny—like, where are you going? It’s a five-hour flight!
Reader’s Digest: You’re an avid lover of icy, sweet treats, which we can see in your collaboration with Yasso, which makes frozen Greek-yogurt snacks. What do you like about them?
Chelsea Handler: The people who started this are childhood friends. They met in kindergarten in Boston, so I thought that was such a great story. Also, what the brand represents is kind of how I feel about myself. It’s very high vibes. It’s a bright ray of light. I think women especially need to stop restricting themselves and start enjoying life in a healthy, responsible way. It’s so easy to make healthy choices. I like the Yasso salted caramel, and I use it as a nightcap. I have one before I go to bed most nights because that’s just from my childhood, when I used to go into my bed and eat snacks. I kind of love that feeling. It’s nostalgic.
Note: Visit Yasso.com/HandleYourFreezer to enter Yasso’s Handle Your Freezer sweepstakes for a chance to win a freezer clean-out from Taskrabbit, plus creamy, dipped and sandwiched Yasso bars and treats. You have until May 21, 2025.Â
Rapid response with Chelsea Handler
Want more fun tidbits about Handler? Check out her answers below.
Reader’s Digest: Dogs or cats?
Chelsea Handler: Dogs.
Reader’s Digest: Aisle seat or window?
Chelsea Handler: Aisle.
Reader’s Digest: Mornings or nights?
Chelsea Handler: Mornings.
Reader’s Digest: Favorite comfort food?
Chelsea Handler: Yasso. (Handler’s favorite is the Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Crunch Bar.)
Reader’s Digest: What advice would you give to your younger self if you could?
Chelsea Handler: Eat more Yasso!
Reader’s Digest: If you weren’t an actress, comedian, author or TV host, what would you be doing?
Chelsea Handler: Probably a therapist.
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