Chelsea Handler details difficult New Jersey childhood and rise to fame in Los Angeles in new memoir

Chelsea Handler is reflecting on her difficult New Jersey childhood and her journey to comedy stardom in Los Angeles. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the 50-year-old comedian and bestselling author opens up about the emotional complexity of her early life, as recounted in her new memoir, I’ll Have What She’s Having.

Handler grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, in what she calls a “beige split-level house” in a quiet, mall-filled suburb. Her father, Seymour, worked as a used-car dealer, while her mother, Rita, raised Chelsea and her five siblings. As the youngest, Handler often felt overlooked and frequently clashed with her father, whose behavior she later described as misogynistic.

Despite warm memories of her mother and summers spent at their modest Martha’s Vineyard home, Handler’s youth was marked by personal struggles—including the devastating loss of her brother Chet, who died at age 21 in a hiking accident. A family visit to Los Angeles a year later made her realize where she truly belonged.

Determined to build a new life, Handler moved to California at age 19. After years of hard work, her breakthrough came in 2007 with the launch of Chelsea Lately. The success of the show paved the way for a thriving career and a string of real estate investments.

In 2021, she purchased a $5.9 million Brentwood home from actress Cheryl Hines. After extensive renovations, she moved in by 2024. Before that, she lived in a Bel-Air home she bought in 2010 and later sold for over $10 million.

Handler’s homes reflect more than just her financial success—they represent the transformation from a chaotic childhood to a life she’s built on her own terms.