Chelsea Handler Likens Ailing Mitch McConnell’s Return to 'Weekend at Bernie’s': 'We're Dealing With a Person Who's Unconscious or Possibly Not Even Alive'

Chelsea Handler reacted to Sen. Mitch McConnell's recent return to work with a very funny and cynical reaction. She compared his return to the 1989 movie Weekend at Bernie's.

During a guest spot on The View on Thursday, September 24, Handler responded to co-host Sunny Hostin's question about how she felt about Kentucky Republican McConnell reappearing on Capitol Hill after an extended absence.

"Was that a return? That's a return to Saturn, is what that was," Handler quipped at the beginning of her time on the daytime talk show.

Handler referenced the movie's premise, where two men prop up and carry around their deceased boss and pass him off as alive. She joked that the senator's aides probably did something similar, because she had no idea if McConnell was completely aware of what was happening.

"This is obviously like Weekend at Bernie's," she joked. "We're dealing with a person who's unconscious or possibly not even alive," Handler said, adding that she wondered aloud who was holding his hand up when he waved.

At the end of her comments, Handler posed a more serious question: "When they look back at this time in history, how are we going to explain ourselves?"

Handler's comment masked some real concerns about McConnell's well-being. After falling at his home in June and later developing pneumonia, the 84-year-old senator was gone from public view for roughly three months.

When McConnell returned to the Senate floor, he was in a wheelchair and only offered brief comments. He then waved to reporters while flanked by his chief of staff.

During a subsequent vote, he reportedly required prompting from his aides, and his name was called twice before he gave voice to his vote. These appearances have fueled additional questions about his fitness to continue serving in his role.

Handler's comments added to a conversation the panel had already been having about the senator. Co-host Ana Navarro had previously expressed her frustration with the situation, saying she'd lost track of how many times McConnell had frozen in public, fallen or been hospitalized in the past few years.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has publicly encouraged McConnell to either demonstrate that he can continue to serve or step aside. Questions regarding McConnell's fitness have persisted through his many health-related incidents, some of which have been linked in part to polio he contracted as a child.

McConnell has indicated that despite the scrutiny surrounding his health, he intends to remain in office until the completion of his current term, which ends in January 2027. However, he also confirmed that he doesn't plan to run for reelection.

Handler joined The View as she promotes her "High & Mighty" stand-up tour, which she revealed she's now bringing to Florida and Texas after previously avoiding both states for political reasons.

Her McConnell joke was one of several political topics she weighed in on during the visit.