Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Chelsea Handler

It's hard to take Chelsea Handler seriously, and that's probably because she doesn't want you to. But despite her best efforts, Handler is slowly becoming a comedian with a purpose. With her talk show Chelsea and documentary series Chelsea Does, Handler started diving into some deeper territory. Not one to shy away from controversy, Handler has inadvertently (or maybe even purposely) become one of the most influential stars in Hollywood (Time even placed her on their list). 

Only recently has Handler given fans and viewers a glimpse into her personal life. From all the joking anecdotes and stories she shares on stage, it's hard to gauge what's real and what's fake in Handler's history. But there's no denying she's a star. From an playing on an all-female Punk'd style prank show to becoming one of late night's most viable entertainers, Handler must be doing something right. 

If you're wondering who Chelsea Handler really is, then prepare to see a new side of the sharp-tongued comedian. Chelsea Handler trivia and facts prove that she's a tough, smart, and surprisingly generous star. Behind all the raunchy quotes, Handler's bio is actually quite impressive and unique. There's a lot you probably don't know about Handler's biography. In fact, some of the most interesting facts about Chelsea Handler can only come straight from the comedian's own mouth.

Elizabeth Banks and Chelsea Handler might as well be twins. The two doppelgängers can scarcely get through a day without someone mistaking them for each other. When Handler hosted Elizabeth Banks on Chelsea Lately, the actress shared an experience she had at a Toronto airport. "A guy walked up to me and said, 'Oh my god, my girlfriend loves you. She would die if I didn't get your autograph. This is so exciting!'" Banks recalled. "He's like, 'I just love your books. I mean, My Horizontal Life....' I was like, 'Oh, he thinks he's meeting Chelsea Handler.' I couldn't ruin it for him!" Banks admitted she never corrected the very confused man.

Handler shared an similar experience she had in which Bill O'Reilly mistook her for Banks at the White House Correspondents Dinner. "People always say, 'They look alike, but Chelsea's obviously much older.' Meanwhile, we're the same age," Handler said. "It's like, what is wrong with everybody? Why can't I just get a break?"

When Chelsea Handler and 50 Cent first started snapping photos together in bed, people were almost positive the two celebrities had to be trolling the world. But albeit brief, the romance was very much real between the two. Handler sat down with Howard Stern to dissect the relationship, more specifically what went wrong. "He's actually a lot different than you would think. He's really sweet," Handler opened. And even though Handler's friends raved over their relationship, things just didn't work out. "We dated for a couple months and then we had a falling out," Chelsea admitted. "One of his ex-girlfriends was coming onto my show." When Fiddy warned Handler that his ex was still into him, Handler had had enough. "It was just so juvenile, I was at work. I hung up and I've never spoken to him again," she said.

It's not everyday you hear a celebrity say a DUI saved their career. In fact, it's usually the indicator that a star's career is about to crash and burn. But without her DUI record, Chelsea Handler would have never discovered her comedic chops. "I had to go this class, like DUI class, where basically you had to speak publicly about your experience and your arrest. And at that time in my life, I had never had to speak publicly. And then I did it ... and I was higher than I've ever been," she shared. "I mean, everyone was laughing at my story. And somebody said, 'You should be a stand-up comedian!' And I said, 'Maybe I should!'" If it weren't for her poor decisions, Handler may have never found her way to late night.

Heather McDonald, the former bestie who had such positive things to say about Handler's generosity, reportedly turned on the comedian while working on Chelsea Lately. When McDonald came out with sound bites claiming she was "living in fear" while working with Chelsea on the late night spot, Handler took to The Howard Stern Show to clear the air. "She's so full of sh*t," Handler exclaimed. "I found out at work that she was trading stories to US Weekly about my personal life in exchange for having her photos run in the magazine." Despite saying that McDonald was "good on the show," Handler believes there were "eighty things she should've been fired for." "It's not an internment camp," she continued. "If you're that fearful, then get [another] job."

Chelsea Handler has been an outspoken advocate for a woman's right to choose. Her passion for the social issue stems from Handler's personal experience as a teenager. At sixteen, Handler had her pregnancy terminated after finding herself in a family way with the guy she was dating. Initially, Handler wanted to keep the baby. But Handler's parents convinced her otherwise. “This is not what our family's about. You know, you're supposed to create a life for yourself, and we want you to enjoy your life and not be raising a child. And we're certainly not going to raise it for you," her parents told her. But the comedian doesn't regret the decision either. "Getting unintentionally pregnant more than once is irresponsible, but it's still necessary to make a thoughtful decision. We all make mistakes all the time," Handler wrote for an article in Playboy. "It's okay if you think it's not right for women to have abortions -- but it's not your problem, because we decide," she added.

Handler has written a total of five books, all of which have made the New York Times Best Seller List. In fact, her first book,  My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands, is the only one of Handler's books to not reach the number one spot.  Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, and Uganda Be Kidding Me all hit the number one slot on the Best Seller list upon its release. 

According to Handler, she nearly got "Cosby-ed." In her interview with Esquire, Handler shared her experience with Bill Cosby, an alleged serial rapist. She recounted a story that took place about ten years ago in which the comedian invited her up to his hotel suite. "And I said, ‘That’s really weird. I don’t want to go alone.’ I go, ‘I don’t know him,'" Handler reacted. Luckily, Handler took a few guy friends with her up to the room. “I brought them up with me to his room and thank God I did, because now I know what would’ve happened if I went up there alone,” she said. It wasn't until one of her friends reminded her of the incident that she put the pieces together. “He said, ‘Hello! You could’ve been one of his victims if we weren’t there.’ And I went, ‘Oh my gosh!' Yeah, so yeah, he’s guilty.” Talk about dodging a bullet. 

Despite never having gone to college herself, Handler is more than charitable when it comes to other kids' futures. Handler's ex-BFF (we'll get to that later) raved about the comedian's efforts to help out her employees' and friends' children. "She set up a scholarship fund for each of my kids and does the same for anyone on staff who has a baby," Heather McDonald, a former writer for Chelsea Lately, said. "Yet she never went to college herself. She's a really sensitive person."