His side of the story. Jo Koy opened up about his split from Chelsea Handler after she described the breakup as a “painful” situation.
“We’re great friends. We’ve always been great friends,” the comedian, 51, told TMZ on Thursday, July 21. “The love is still there.”
Asked if he’s planning on reentering the dating pool anytime soon, the Washington native replied, “I’m just gonna concentrate on this movie thing right now.” Koy’s new film, Easter Sunday, hits theaters on August 5.
Earlier this month, the former Chelsea Lately host, 47, revealed that she and her beau split after less than one year of dating. “It is with a heavy heart to announce that we have decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now,” she wrote via Instagram on July 18 alongside a video she’d planned to post for the duo’s upcoming one-year anniversary.
“I know many of you were invested in our love, and I wanted to express to you how much that meant to both of us,” Handler continued. “How much it still means. And how much I now believe in love for each of us.”
The pair, who’ve been friends for nearly 15 years, started dating in September 2021. The following month, the Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea author revealed that she developed feelings for Koy more than a decade earlier, but she “suppressed” them.
“By the way, who gives a s–t?” the New Jersey native said during an episode of her “Dear Chelsea” podcast. “Look where we are now. I would’ve ruined it if I had those feelings earlier, probably.”
Earlier this week, the This Means War actress opened up about the split during an appearance on the “We Can Do Hard Things With Glennon Doyle” podcast. “It’s nice to bend for people,” she said on Wednesday, July 20. “It’s nice to learn how to compromise. It’s nice to learn how to demonstrate my love publicly. I believe Jo needed that.”
Despite the breakup, Handler said she feels “optimistic” about her future. “I’ve changed so much and my love was so big that it just blew me open,” she explained. “And as painful as the ending of something like that is, I’m so well-versed in therapy and understanding that every door shutting is a new beginning and I do believe it.”
The former Chelsea host alleged that her now-ex wasn’t great at compromising, but she refused to bend too far to his will. “I’m proud of myself because I didn’t let myself cross that line,” she said, adding that the twosome had reached a crossroads in their romance. “I understand the wanting to avoid that, the avoidance of wanting to look in with that and I think I’m at a place in my life that I have to be with somebody who is where I’m at with that.”
