After Chelsea Handler’s seven year run as an innovative woman talk show host, I think it’s time we show our sharp and witty homegirl a little gratitude.
I have personally been a fan of Chelsea from the very beginning. I deem her to be this generation’s most influential female in comedy. She has had a huge impact on my life as I am a female pursuing stand up comedy along with writing about my sexual endeavors. Chelsea inspired me to do the above without feeling an ounce of shame.
Being shameless is what Chelsea has always done best. The reason why masses of people react and respond to her shtick is not entirely because of her jokes or her smutty attitude, it’s the fact that she hurled into speaking out and owning her refusal to dovetail into societies traditional notions of a female’s code of behavior.
It wasn’t Chelsea’s fame and fortune that earned my respect, it was how she made me feel like it was okay to not shun that little voice in my head that always made me feel set apart from the crowd. I have always felt that I didn’t fit in with big groups of people; it felt like I was living alone in my head and observing my peers with a high degree of distaste.
I remember hearing Chelsea once say in an interview that if you have a little voice in your head that’s constantly making fun of the idiots around you, you should bring that voice to life because chances are, other people are thinking the same thing.
Chelsea made it okay for women to say whatever they were feeling or thinking and to have no apologies for it. I don’t know if I could have put that faith in that voice if it wasn’t for Chelsea being on my TV screen every night. To be a comedian isn’t necessarily to be an asshole, it’s to be an observer with a distinct point of view.
The recipe of comedy is to deliver a smart premise (something that makes people nod their head in agreement with you), and then make them laugh. Comedy done right is making someone think, ‘Oh My God, I thought I was the only one who thought that/did that.’ Chelsea said what everyone else thought but didn’t have the balls to say.
A lot of people have muttered that she slept her way to the top and is undeserving of her success. To ‘make it’ in the entertainment business is all about luck anyway and shit, if I could get to the top WHILE having sex, I would do that too. I must just be sleeping with the wrong people because the only perk I’ve gotten from sleeping around in Hollywood is tacos half off at SaddleRanch.
People may also have a problem with Chelsea’s churlish persona, but you’re talking
about her and that’s the point. I’d like to set something straight here. In Hollywood, if your job is to be a ‘personality’ (which is what ‘Chelsea Lately’ was) then you have to commit to that personality. Chelsea’s job was to portray a loud mouthed, vodka drinking, promiscuous sex-having woman. It wouldn’t fit if she was overly sweet and gracious, it just wouldn’t make sense.
Chelsea leaving E! is not a bad thing and neither is the way that she went out. She kept it professional and worked until her contract was up. What more could we expect? She knew she couldn’t handle talking about the Kardashian’s and Justin Bieber anymore. It’s not her ditching her fan base or hating on the E! network, it’s Chelsea being the Chelsea we all fell in love with in the first place. She is going to do what Chelsea wants to do-travel the world and experience new things, new men, strong drinks and hopefully write about it so we can all be entertained throughout her escapades.
I think a lot of us will miss Chelsea being on every night at 11 but I’m on board for where she will take us next. So let’s all thank Chelsea for making a girl feel like it’s okay to do what she wants with her mind, voice and body. You’re a real gem, Chels. Can’t wait to watch you kick ass at your next enterprise, Xo.
Featured image via “Chelsea Handler 2012 Shankbone 2” by david_shankbone / CC BY 2.0
