‘I Have To Choose Myself’

Chelsea Handler is doing fine following her split from fellow comedian Jo Koy. 

After announcing her breakup from Koy, 51, Monday, Handler, 47, appeared on Wednesday’s episode of the “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle” podcast and gave fans an update on how she was coping post-split.

“I’m OK. I feel, you know, optimistic about the future now,” the “Chelsea Lately” alum said in the interview. “I’ve changed so much and my love was so big that it just blew me open. 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.”

She admitted that her podcast appearance was supposed to be with her now-ex-boyfriend. She also said she was proud of herself for handling a breakup in an “honest way” for the first time in her life.

Speaking about how she’s dealing with the split, the comedian said she has been “dealing with it in real-time” and avoiding “deflecting and doing all these things to say, ‘I’m fine! I’m fine!'”

“In therapy, out of therapy, with my girlfriends, with all my support systems knowing that when you’re in pain, sit with it. Not to go away and take an edible — even though I’ve always loved edibles,” she joked. “Not to try to numb your pain.”

Handler went on to describe her recovery as an “emotional rollercoaster.” But regardless of whether she’s “killing it” or not, she said she’s proud to have put herself first

“I think that when you have the grounding and the courage to say that something isn’t working, you’re saying a lot more than that to the whole world,” she explained. “You’re inviting in things that are going to be workable and more suited to your needs and what you’re available for. … I’m not going to abandon myself. I have to choose myself.”

Handler announced their split Monday via a statement she posted on Instagram alongside a video that she and Koy had planned to share on their one-year anniversary.

In the caption of the video, she said that they decided together that it was best for them to “take a break from our relationship right now.”

Handler also gushed over Koy in the post, describing him as the man who “blew my heart open with love and because of him, my life experience has changed forever.”

“To be loved and adored by @jokoy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I’ve never been more optimistic for the future,” she added.

Handler and Koy were introduced by a mutual friend almost 20 years ago, according to People. Koy then went on to make regular appearances on her show “Chelsea Lately.”

Handler and Koy first sparked dating rumors in September 2021 when they were spotted looking cozy at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. She made their relationship Instagram official days later.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic