Chelsea Handler could be, at any given time, some combination of horny, high and good-humored.
But, within that potent mix, there’s also room for seriousness.
She released a comedy special, “Chelsea Handler: Evolution,” on HBO Max last year, carving out time within her set to open up about personal details she had never before shared with an audience.
We might be getting a Chelsea Handler of a different nature as hinted at by the name of her current tour: “Vaccinated and Horny.”
Before arriving in town, Handler called in to discuss the special, the tour, her drug of choice and other equally important matters.
Question: I watched “Evolution.” The name came from your emotional growth as you discuss your work with your therapist. Why was this show the right time to reveal some of your personal trauma?
Answer: I think I was just at a place in my life where I had come out of therapy with such a positive experience, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and let everybody else know. If I was able to curb my behavior and become kind and gentler and more loving and more patient, then anybody could do it! I just was very excited to share my story, and I thought it would be a meaningful way to incorporate it in the medium of comedy. When I saw Hannah Gadsby’s special a few years ago, I just thought, oh god, you could tell a serious story in the medium of stand-up and still tell jokes for 55 minutes and take 10 minutes to tell something that is profound or that will touch people and resonate in a way that you’re not normally able to do in the confines of stand-up.
Q: There wasn’t much pandemic talk in “Evolution.” Considering the name of the tour is “Vaccinated and Horny,” I’m guessing it’s a bigger topic in these live shows?
A: Yeah, this is more of a shift back to my roots as a stand-up comedian, making fun of what we all experienced and all of our bad behavior and embarrassing things that we went through in the last year, trying to date during COVID, trying to have a relationship during COVID, trying not to murder your husband or your child during COVID. Everyone is ready to party. I like to be the reason for people coming back together, especially for some people it will be the first time.
Q: You had a couple one-off dates in July and August before the tour kicks off in earnest in Cincinnati. Did you pick here as the starting point because you think of it as a low-pressure, low-stakes kind of town?
A: Hahaha no. I don’t really have a lot of say in where they start it. I don’t pick the city I want to start in. They just throw a bunch of dates at you. You want to hit the major markets that you always hit. Cincinnati’s always been one of those markets for me. I’ve always gone there, probably because “WKRP in Cincinnati” had such a big influence on my childhood.
Q: I just gave you the opportunity to insult Cincinnati, and you didn’t take it. That’s a little disappointing.
A: Wait till I get there, to start insulting Cincinnatians. Hold off on that.
Q: You started a new podcast in May called “Dear Chelsea.” It’s an advice podcast, and Spotify gives it an even drier tag by calling it an educational podcast. Are you OK with producing media content that’s relatively straightforward, or do you feel an obligation to make it edgy and funny because that’s what’s expected of you?
A: I just like to be authentic and real. The podcast is funny. It’s serious, and it’s funny. It has all the things I bring to the table with whatever project I do. Educational ... if anyone’s taking me that seriously, then they need to get an education. I wouldn’t describe it as educational, but I would describe it as I’m there giving you the kind of tough love and push in the right direction that any big sister or best friend would. I want people to be their best.
Q: What about your willingness to mix politics into your act? Is there a comic you look to as someone who deftly handles that comedy-politics balance?
A: People don’t want to hear celebrities talking about politics, but I say (forget) that. Of course we should. We should stand up for something. Everybody should stand up for something. I don’t model myself after anyone, but I definitely act on something when I see fit, and I try to really be authentic to myself and not fake anything. You can’t really fake anything. People can tell right away anyway.
Q: You talked a lot about the benefits of recreational drugs in “Evolution.” Do you have favorites or one or two that you do more these days than others?
A: Cannabis is a pretty steady factor in my life. I like cannabis a lot. It’s taken down the drinking a lot.
Q: How do you like it? Flower? Edibles? Vape pen?
A: Good question. I always rotate. Right now I’m on the joints. I like Dogwalkers. I got one of those little glass one-hitters, and that’s the smoothest way to smoke it, just having real weed that has no chemicals on it. Unfortunately, all of these joints always have something in them, so it has a little bit more wear and tear on your system. I don’t really like to go too long on the joint phase. I might move on to edibles. Then sometimes I’ll microdose some chocolate mushrooms for a couple weeks. But I do a nice rotation throughout the year.
Q: Aside from the tour, what else do you have going through the end of the year or the next 12 months or so?
A: We’re adapting my book, “Life Will Be the Death of Me,” into a TV show at Universal. I have a production deal there, so we’re developing that for me to star in, so that’s exciting. I’m looking forward to that. And I’m going to be touring for the next year. We announced the first half of the tour, and then there will be a second half. That’s going to keep me pretty busy. It’s a pretty grueling schedule. I’ll focus on that, and I’ll focus on my podcast, and I’ll try to bring some humor into the world.
If you go
What: Chelsea Handler
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30
Where: Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown; 513-232-6220
Tickets: $169.50-$49.50
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