“I tapped out with that” - Chelsea Handler reveals why she bowed out of interviewing celebrities

Chelsea Handler, recalling her early podcasting days, has shared that she stopped interviewing celebrities as much as before because she felt "tapped out." She also shared that when the podcasting opportunity came, she had just come out of two years of "serious stint in" therapy and wanted to interview "real people."

Chelsea Handler is an American comedian, actress, and talk show host. She is currently the host of the podcast, Dear Chelsea, where she talks about a variety of subjects from love to family. The 50-year-old actress has also featured in movies like This Means War and Hop. She used to interview celebrities in her show, Chelsea Lately, which aired from 2007 to 2014.

As reported by People, on May 1, 2025, during a Q&A session at the PHM Healthfront Conference in New York City, Chelsea Handler shared why she bowed out of celebrity interviews. She shared with the audience:

"When they said I would want you to do a podcast. I was like, yeah, I know, but everyone has a podcast... And I had just come out of a two-year, serious stint in therapy and I thought, ‘How can I do something where I'm talking to real people, not celebrities?

She continued:

I’m tapped out with that. I need to talk to real people. And then I thought, 'God, I’ve learned so much from this therapist... His name was Dan Siegel, that I went to. His name still is Dan Siegel.”

The podcast, Dear Chelsea, co-hosted by Catherine Law, is a weekly show where they interview a wide range of guests, not limited to celebrities. One such guest was her therapist, Siegel, who appeared on the podcast in 2022.

Chelsea Handler almost didn't write her latest book.

According to People magazine, at the same event Chelsea Handler shared that she almost did not write her recently-released essay collection, I’ll Have What She’s Having, after she broke up with comedian Jo Koy in 2022.

According to the publication, Handler received the book deal while she was dating Jo Koy. Handler and Jo Koy publicly dated in 2021-2022.

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“My editor was like, ‘Oh my god, Chelsea Handler's in love and publicly in love, you have to write a book about falling in love,’ And I was like, ‘No problem.’”

Post breakup, Chelsea reveals, her writing plan changed too. Though her editor suggested she write a book about breaking up, Handler didn't want to move away from her 'optimistic vibe.' According to People, though she initially contemplated giving up the book deal, a lot of reflection led her to write "her story of becoming the woman she always wanted to be," which resulted in I’ll Have What She’s Having.

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