Chelsea Handler may seem like an open book, given her tell-it-like-it-is approach to comedy. But even Handler has her secrets. Here, Us Weekly rounds up five fun facts about the 37-year-old bestselling author and comedienne. Handler's late-night E! talk show, Chelsea Lately, returns Monday, October 15, featuring a brand new set and all-star guests.
01. She takes care of her friends' families. According to comedian Heather McDonald, Handler's pal and co-worker, the talk show host "set up a scholarship fund for each of my kids and does the same for anyone on staff who has a baby. Yet she never went to college herself. She's a really sensitive person."
02. She once competed in a beauty pageant. Handler didn't win any trophies, but the New Jersey native didn't exactly try her hardest. "I only entered the contest where there was no talent required. I knew early on that my talents were limited, obviously. I mean, look at me!" she once recalled on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. "You have to be in a bathing suit and they want you to play an instrument, and that wasn't going to work. I mean, I played an instrument, but it was called a bong, so. . ."
03. She doesn't want to be anyone's wife. "I don't know if I even want to get married," Handler once told The New York Times. "But if I do ever meet someone I like, they're going to know everything. They'll never be able to come back a couple years down the road and say I lied."
04. She doesn't imbibe as often as people assume. Given the title of her 2008 book of essays, Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, many fans assume Handler is always liquored up. Not so, says the comedian. "I don't drink as much as I should –or as much as people think I do. Mondays through Wednesdays I try to take it easy, and then on the weekends I do whatever I want," she once explained. "It's more for diet than the actual drinking thing. You can't drink like that and expect to be in at least somewhat decent shape. I mean, I love to go out and drink and have fun with my friends. But I'm not a mess."
05. She's co-creating a non-profit organization for young women. "I'm working on starting this foundation for young girls with my sisters to try to help underdogs get a light shone on them," she once told More. "I think that's really important when you're growing up, to have somebody remind you that you are special, that you have a gift."
