Chelsea Handler Net Worth

Chelsea Handler is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, Chelsea Does, on Netflix in January 2016. 

From 2016 to 2017, Handler hosted another talk show, Chelsea, on Netflix. Besides hosting talk shows, she has had a successful television, production, and writing career. This article will explore her net worth, career, and earnings.

Chelsea Handler’s net worth and earnings

Handler’s net worth is estimated to be around $35 million. Her successful career as a stand-up comedian, actress, author, and late-night talk show host has accumulated this wealth.

Her earnings and financial data provide insights into her impressive net worth. In 2012 and 2011, her annual salary was reported to be $8 million and $12 million, respectively. 

While she never confirmed her salary at E!, where she hosted Chelsea Lately from 2007 to 2014, it was reported that she signed a two-year extension deal with E! in 2011 for $25 million, covering her work as host and executive producer of the show.

Chelsea Handler in ‘Revolution’ (Source: Netflix)

In 2009, she signed a lucrative deal to publish two books, earning her $4 million. The same year, her comedy tour Chelsea Lately generated $10 million in ticket sales. Additionally, she purchased a mansion in Bel Air for $5.9 million in 2009.

More recently, in 2014, after leaving the E! Network and ending her show, she signed a $10 million deal with Netflix. This deal included a talk show, a stand-up comedy performance, and a four-part “docu-comedy” special. 

In 2022, Handler filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against lingerie company ThirdLove, alleging that the company did not fairly compensate her for an advertising campaign she was hired to spearhead. In 2021, she had signed a one-year, $1.06 million deal with the company.

Chelsea Handler’s real estate portfolio

Handler’s real estate portfolio provides insight into her wealth and luxurious lifestyle. 2010, she purchased a $6 million home above the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. 

She extensively renovated the Bel-Air mansion, creating an open-plan space with large windows and an indoor-outdoor California vibe. In 2018, she listed the property for sale at $11.5 million but did not find a buyer. 

She relisted it in January 2019 for $10.95 million and eventually accepted a sale price of around $10.4 million in March 2021. She finally sold the Bel-Air mansion she had owned since 2010 for $10.375 million. 

The property boasted six bedrooms and seven bathrooms and had undergone extensive renovations by Handler after her initial purchase in 2010.

Following that, in February 2021, she sold her longtime home in Los Angeles, California, for $10.376 million, slightly below the original listing price of $10.5 million. The six-bedroom, six-bathroom, 5,572-square-foot residence was sold through Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland.

Likewise, in November 2021, Handler paid $5.8 million for a new home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The seller of this property was Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.

Chelsea Handler’s career

Handler started her career in the early 2000s as a stand-up comedian, performing at various comedy clubs and festivals. Her stand-up comedy was televised on VH1’s Love Lounge, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, and HBO’s broadcast of the Aspen Comedy Festival. 

She also appeared in the all-female cast of Oxygen’s hidden camera reality television series Girls Behaving Badly from 2002 to 2005. Her big break came in 2007 when she began hosting her late-night comedy series, Chelsea Lately, on the E! network. 

Chelsea Lately ran for seven successful seasons until 2014, cementing her position as a popular television host.

In addition to her hosting duties, she has dabbled in acting, appearing in various television shows such as Weekends at the DL, The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, and The Practice.

Chelsea Handler in ‘Conan’ (Source: IMDb)

Beyond her on-screen and writing endeavors, Handler has also ventured into production work. 

She has produced various television shows, including her series and others like Whitney Cummings’ Love You, Mean It, Ross Mathews’s Hello Ross, and Josh Wolf’s The Josh Wolf Show.

She has also produced reality shows like Pretty Wild and has developed deals with networks like TNT, Hulu, and NBCUniversal for creating content.

In recent years, Handler has expanded her horizons by creating documentary series like Chelsea Does for Netflix, which explored marriage, Silicon Valley, racism, and drugs. 

She also had a talk show on Netflix called Chelsea and has announced plans to produce a stand-up special for HBO Max, focusing on her life experiences regarding family, friendships, and therapy.

Chelsea Handler has also seen success in writing

Handler has found significant success as a writer in addition to her work in television and comedy. She has written six books topped the New York Times Best Seller List.

Her first book, My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands (2005), detailed her various sexual encounters throughout her life. 

Her second book, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea (2008) was a collection of humorous essays that hit the top of The New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List in May 2008, with an initial print run of over 350,000 copies.

Handler’s third book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, released in March 2010, also reached the top of The New York Times Nonfiction Hardback Bestseller list. She went on a nationwide tour to promote this book.

Chelsea Handler on the cover of the book ‘Life Will Be the Death of Me’ (Source: USA Today)

In 2010, Handler’s publishers gave her her publishing imprint. She signed a three-book deal with this imprint, the first of which was Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, where her coworkers and family members discussed their experiences with her. 

In 2014, she released her fifth book, Uganda Be Kidding Me, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks. 

Most recently, in 2019, she published her first memoir, Life Will Be the Death of Me, which focused on her experiences during a year of self-discovery. 

The memoir reached the top spot on The New York Times Bestsellers List, and she embarked on a comedy tour to promote it. Universal TV also acquired the rights to adapt the book into a television series.