UPDATE 9/28 11:30 a.m. ET — Chelsea Handler has clarified her relationship status after posing with a mystery man.
“I did not announce a new boyfriend on Instagram,” she said in a Wednesday, September 28, Instagram Story video. “That man is the bartender right next store to my house in Mallorca and that’s why he’s my baby. OK? Baby doesn’t mean boyfriend, baby means he is my baby because he made me so many drinks.”
Original story continues below:
Chelsea Handler proudly announced she has a new man in her life.
The comedian, 48, posted a photo kissing a mystery man on her Tuesday, September 27, Instagram Story. The man — whose name she did not reveal — hugs Handler in the image, a big smile on his face.
“This is my baby. He is full of love and positivity and his body is my wonderland,” she commented, seemingly referring to John Mayer’s 2002 hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”
“I love my baby and now I go back to work,” the TV personality continued, referring to her Little Big Bitch comedy tour, which opens this weekend with two performances in New York City before stopping all over the country.
Handler’s announcement comes just over a year since ending her romance with fellow comedian Jo Koy in June 2022. The pair had been together since September 2021.
In July, Koy, 52, revealed to Page Six that he is still friends with his ex, whom he met through mutual friend Jon Lovitz.
“It was a beautiful time,” he added of their nine-month relationship. “And she’s doing beautiful things right now. She’s crushing it right now, so I have nothing but the best love for her.”
In December, however, Handler hinted at tension between her and Koy, suggesting that he was responsible for their breakup.
“I mean, there has to be some accountability, you know what I mean? Like, from him about what happened, because it was just ridiculous,” she said on Brooke Shields’ “Now What?” podcast. “Towards the end of the relationship, it just became clear that this was not my person.”
Handler — whose past romances also include 50 Cent and hotel owner Andre Balazs — added, “Walking away from him was one of the most difficult things that I ever had to do.”
