Chelsea Handler adopts a relatively modest tone in interviews, which is odd because she has pulled off what few comics have been able to do lately.
The 36-year-old stand-up has bucked the splintering, niche-audience trend of the past decade to develop herself into a bona fide, genre-spanning brand.
Handler is a late-night TV show host, best-selling author, national touring comedian and proud creator of spinoff shows and tours. She’s the national voice of the weekly girls night out — that now-standard ceremony of cocktails and conversation held in the name of female bonding.
“I give a lot of myself to my show, my books and my stand-up,” Handler said over the phone from her office in Los Angeles. “When you’re on TV, it’s a powerful thing, and since the show repeats so many times courtesy of E! and their lovely marketing strategy, so many people see you.”
It’s Handler’s moment, and her awareness of her pulpit is important. “Chelsea Lately,” which debuted on E! in 2007, attracts more than 900,000 viewers per night with its mix of raunchy, deadpan monologues, daily news riffs and rapid-fire round tables. The numbers are less than a third of what David Letterman or Jay Leno draws on average, but they still place her close to Conan O’Brien’s TBS vehicle and not far behind Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”
Regardless whether she means to, she’s essentially taking on the late-night boys club.
Her viewership is an outgrowth of her fantastically popular stand-up, which she has developed steadily and intelligently. As recently as 2007, she was playing comedy clubs. Last year, her “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” tour (named after her book) was extended three times in theaters around the country, drawing more than 250,000 fans in 44 markets and grossing more than $16 million, according to promoter Live Nation.
That’s a lot of folks coming out to see her talk about sex, booze and boozy sex. As in Dane Cook-, George Lopez-, Larry the Cable Guy- and Brian Regan-quality numbers.
In other words, stand-up royalty.
Her latest tour, “Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me,” is timed to coincide with the release of the book of the same name — her fourth in six years. The book came out earlier this week.
If the past is any indication, the new book is poised to do very well. A little over a year ago, her previous three books simultaneously held the top three spots on the New York Times best-sellers list. Those provocative confessionals touted the virtues of one-night stands and vodka, but they also delved into Handler’s New Jersey upbringing as one of six children in a Jewish household.
“There does come a point when you want to have something that’s just yours instead of everybody’s,” Handler said. “But I would never be a pain in the (butt) about it. I definitely have an understanding of being respectful to other people in your life that don’t necessarily want their laundry aired.”
That may sound surprising coming from someone who regularly rips into celebrities and has no problem exploring the details of kinky sex with little people. But Handler’s creative versatility and business savvy often belie her persona.
“I will say this: There is a very sensitive side to Chelsea, and she is very empathetic,” said “Lately” regular Heather McDonald.
Chelsea handler
WHEN: 8 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland
TICKETS: $55.50, $75.50; ticketmaster.com
