NEWSChelsea Handler Reveals Candid Reason She Quit Hosting Hit Talk Show After 7 Seasons: Watch
Comedian Chelsea Handler addressed the real reason she walked away from hosting ‘Chelsea Lately’ after being on air for seven years.
March 30 2026, Published 5:44 p.m. ET
Chelsea Handler got candid about the end of her hit talk show Chelsea Lately, and why she left after seven seasons on air.
While speaking with Andy Cohen during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live on Sunday, March 29, the comedian, 51, was asked whether she missed hosting the show.
Chelsea Handler opened up about leaving 'Chelsea Lately' in a conversation with Andy Cohen.
Chelsea Handler Was 'Burnt Out' After Hosting 'Chelsea Lately' For 7 Years
Chelsea Handler said she was 'burnt out' from hosting 'Chelsea Lately.'
"I just don't," Handler began, before adding, "Yeah, no. I liked it a lot."
Handler admitted she was "burnt out" after years on TV, calling it the "seven-year itch."
"James Corden left his show after seven years. There's another talk show host, I don't remember who, same thing," she continued. "You have to either refocus your attention, and get really focused, or move on to something else."
Chelsea Handler Left 'Chelsea Lately' in 2014
Chelsea Handler left 'Chelsea Lately' in 2014 after seven seasons.
Handler left the E! talk show in August 2014 after seven seasons.
“I myself am more surprised than anyone that I was able to hold down a job for seven years, and it was a fantastic seven years,” Handler said in a statement at the time. “I will always look back at my time on E! as most people look back at their time in college. I’m glad I went.”
The talk show host had been open about her desire to leave the network, telling Howard Stern on his radio show months earlier that E! was "a sad, sad place to live."
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Chelsea Handler Moved to Podcasting
Chelsea Handler debuted her 'Dear Chelsea' podcast years later.
"They don’t know what they’re doing. They have no ideas. It’s a failure," she continued.
Handler debuted her "Dear Chelsea" podcast on iHeartRadio in 2021 and features her longtime assistant, Brandon Marlo, as a co-host.
The show followed her previous podcast, "Life Will Be The Death of Me With Chelsea Handler," which premiered in May 2019.
Chelsea Handler Is 'Tapped Out' From Celebrity Interviews
Chelsea Handler said she's 'tapped out' from interviewing celebrities.
In May 2025, the bestselling author opened up about why she's felt "tapped out" from conducting celebrity interviews during an onstage Q&A in New York City.
“When they said I would want you to do a podcast. I was like, yeah, I know, but everyone has a podcast,” she recalled of her early days in podcasting. “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."
