Chelsea Handler Reveals She Almost Didn’t Write Latest Book After Jo Koy Breakup

Chelsea Handler’s latest book almost didn’t come to be.

During a Q&A at the Publicis Health Media Healthfront in New York City on May 1, the comedian and author, 50, looked back on the development of her new essay collection I’ll Have What She’s Having with CEO Andrea Palmer. The beginnings of the book coincided with her then-relationship with comedian Jo Koy.

“I got this book deal when I was dating Jo Koy, and it was a very public relationship. 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,’” the author recalled. “And I was like, ‘No problem.’”

Handler and Koy were first introduced by mutual friend Jon Lovitz in the early 2000s, and publicly announced their relationship on Instagram in Sept. 2021. The couple were together for nearly a year before breaking up in July 2022.

Handler said that the end of their relationship changed the trajectory of her writing plans, too. Her editor asked if she would consider writing a book about breaking up, but Handler was unsure, since her “vibe is happy and optimistic.”

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“I thought, okay, I’m not just going to do a book just because I have a book deal. I can give that book deal back,” she said. “And so I reflected and I traveled and I thought, ‘Do I have anything to say?’ And I did think about how people perceived me and how I feel and where I am in my life and where I wanted to be.”

While filled with Handler’s signature humor, I’ll Have What She’s Having is also a candid and honest look at the author’s journey toward becoming “the woman she always wanted to be,” per the book’s description.

“I think the book is a lot about reflection,” Handler says. “I don’t think we’ve all given ourselves enough credit for where we’ve come from and what we’ve accomplished. We go so fast through life that you kind of forget.”

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Handler is the author of six other books in addition to I’ll Have What She’s Having, including Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea and Life Will Be the Death of Me. During the discussion, the author noted why writing has become an important creative outlet for her.

“I think I’ll always write,” Handler said. “I read so much that writing is almost therapeutic, because I’m able to regurgitate all of the things that I am able to read … I’m always fascinated by that.”