Chelsea Handler is coming to Louisville. Her thoughts on love, being on tour and that slap

Comedian and former late-night host Chelsea Handler is headed to the Louisville Palace this month.

And she's one of the first of many. Other big-name comedians, including Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle, have also announced they'll swing through town during their current tours.

Finally, after a very long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, live performances are making a comeback, and comedians, who do their best work in front of a live audience, — and need to make a living like the rest of us — are back on the road, but with a twist no one saw coming.

The twist is what happened on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards between actor Will Smith and the aforementioned Rock. Did Smith open a dangerous door for all comedians when he walked onto the stage at the Oscars and slapped Rock for making a joke the Oscar winner didn't like?

Handler doesn't think so.

"I don't think about that kind of thing when I am performing. I figure the audience has paid good money to buy a ticket to see me and they want to be in that seat," Handler told The Courier Journal.

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On the red carpet at the 2022 Grammys, Handler, who was nominated for Best Comedy Album ("Chelsea Handler: Evolution on HBO Max") addressed the Oscars incident and expressed her support for Rock.

"He was a professional — and that was a great example for all performers, all comedians, to not be reactive in the moment," she told Access Hollywood.

The legendary comedian went on to applaud Rock's confidence in the situation.

"He handled himself with such aplomb and I feel for him. He's an incredible guy. I love the way he handled it, and I respect him even more," she said.

Handler, 46, experienced her own twist of fate during the pandemic, although nothing as painful as a slap across the face. The longtime advocate of her decision to remain single and childless is in love.

At the 2022 Grammys, Handler showed off her love match with comedian Jo Koy at her side.

"I just didn't think it was happening in my life, I'd given up," said the legendary comedian. "I thought 'I'm independent, I can take care of myself.' I have friends and family and I just had stopped thinking about ever being in a long-term relationship."

It was during the pandemic, while Handler, a New York Times best-selling author and host of the advice podcast “Dear Chelsea,” was off the road and working on a book project with Koy that she began to see her longtime colleague in a different light.

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Koy, who had been a frequent panelist on E!'s late-night show "Chelsea Lately," had been a friend but nothing more until the Grammy-nominated comedian began working on herself with a therapist during the pandemic.

“I think you have to be healthy to get healthy," Handler said. "So I had to really dig deep and get my stuff sorted out and then all of a sudden I saw him through a completely different lens."

In her book, “Life Will Be the Death of Me ... and you too!,” Handler details, with the help of her therapist, the steps she took to understand that her fear of loss and unresolved grief kept her from experiencing intimacy.

"For love to come along for me, really gave me hope for everybody who is still looking for their person," said the comedian. "I learned that the first step is to be strong and true to who you are and never lower your standards. The right person is coming as long as you are sure to never accept anything you don't think you deserve."

Besides the addition of Koy to her life, there have been other changes that occurred during the pandemic, which the award-winning comedian is sure to include in her stand-up routine at the Louisville Palace, including the reason she recently purchased a new home.

"At the start of the pandemic, my sister and her grown children moved in with me and that experience solidified my conviction in my decision-making skills of remaining childless," Handler said. "I couldn't imagine being stuck at home home-schooling kids. I sold my house and bought a new one that doesn't have room for guests to be able to come and stay."

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Handler's unique brand for making unfortunate moments seem funny is evident in her "Vaccinated and Horny" tour, which she said is, ultimately, a hopeful celebration of coming back together again.

"It's about being together and appreciating the things in life that we had forgotten," she said.

Reach Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com or Twitter @kirbylouisville.

'The Vaccinated and Horny Tour'

WHAT: The People’s Choice Award for Best Comedy Act of 2021 staring comedian Chelsea Hander

WHERE: Louisville Palace, 625 S. Fourth 4th St.

WHEN: Thursday, April 21, 8 p.m.

COST: Tickets start at $49

MORE INFORMATION: livenation.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Chelsea Handler Vaccinated and Horny tour in Louisville: Date, tickets