Donald Trump’s Election Spurred Chelsea Handler to Experiment With Marijuana: ‘Drinking and Anger Were Not a Match’
Chelsea Handler is a comedian and writer, known for her bold, outspoken style. The former host of Chelsea Lately has been in the public eye more than ever in recent years, producing a Netflix documentary and working on her writing projects. Handler is also very vocal when it comes to causes that she believes in, from politics to animal welfare. Recently, Handler opened up on Justin Long’s podcast, revealing why she turned to marijuana after the 2016 presidential election, and why she was forced to cut back on her drinking.
Chelsea Handler is a popular comedian and talk show host
Chelsea Handler was born in New Jersey in 1975. The youngest of six children, Handler moved to California when she was a teenager, supporting herself through various odd jobs, including working as a waitress, according to IMDb. Handler was a natural comedian, and after some friends encouraged her, she started performing stand-up comedy at nightclubs.
It wasn’t long before Handler caught the eye of some producers in Hollywood. She began appearing on television in shows such as Girls Behaving Badly, The Bernie Mac Show, and The Tonight Show. Handler’s brash personality and no-filter attitude lent itself perfectly to hosting gigs, and in 2006, she started hosting The Chelsea Handler Show on the E! network. The show made her a star, and after a few more high-profile appearances, she landed her most popular series to date, Chelsea Lately. The show ran from 2007 until 2015 and featured Handler interviewing a wide variety of celebrities and media influencers, as well as chatting with her round table of friends and fellow comedians.
Chelsea Handler is very politically outspoken
After Chelsea Lately went off the air in 2015, Chelsea Handler still found plenty of ways to stay in touch with her fans. She appeared on several TV shows and released a documentary in 2016. Early that same year, she debuted a new series on Netflix, simply titled Chelsea. The comedy talk show lasted for two seasons until Handler announced that she would be ending the show so that she could focus on her work in activism.
2016 was a big year for Handler personally, as well as professionally. She became very politically outspoken, especially in regard to that year’s historic presidential election. A vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton, Handler campaigned for Clinton and spoke at several universities and lecture halls. She has also been very critical of President Donald Trump. Recently, Handler sat down with Justin Long and discussed the personal ways in which Donald Trump’s election has effected her.
What did Chelsea Handler say about Donald Trump’s election?
In a recent episode of Life is Short with Justin Long, Chelsea Handler admitted that she needed a way to relax after the 2016 presidential campaign, and rather than drink alcohol, she turned to recreational marijuana. Handler, a longtime proponent of marijuana legalization, revealed that “I came on the weed scene when they introduced, legalized cannabis in the state of California because they had all of a sudden introduced this educated component that’s been missing out entire lives.”
Handler stated that she had some questionable experiences with marijuana in the past and that the legalization of it has completely changed the game: “I know from my own experience taking an edible like what it used to mean and what it means now are two different things. Like you’re not taking a cookie from a ski instructor in Whistler Canada. Been there done that. Believe me, I’ve been in a lot of sticky situations because of cannabis.”
In the wake of the presidential election, Handler was struggling. She explained, “It was just really helping me take the edge off. Because I used to drink a lot and like celebrate that and all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ After the election, 2016, I was so angry about the results that drinking and anger were not a match. That wasn’t good for me. And cannabis was the perfect retreat for me because all of a sudden, you know, I’m in my forties. I don’t need to be drinking like that anymore. It’s not cute, and I don’t want to be bloated.” In the years since the election, Handler has continued her experimentation with marijuana, and Merry Jane reports she debuted her very own line of marijuana products for women in 2019.
