Chelsea Handler is moving on to bigger and better things. Last fall, she released a stand-up special called Uganda Be Kidding Me and she is now starting work on a new show for Netflix, who recently branched out to original programming following the success of Orange is The New Black and House of Cards. Handler spoke at the Code/Media conference in California on February 18 and she can’t help but gush about her new relationship with Netflix as well as her disappointment about her previous gig as host of Chelsea Lately for seven years.
“The subject matter I was dealing with on E!, you know, it was a fun way to get started and kind of have a great time,” she said about Chelsea Lately which ran until last year. “And then after a while, I just was like, I’m so much smarter than that show was, and I wanted to be doing a show that was smarter than I was.”
Chelsea Handler Disses Her Old E! Show Chelsea Lately: “I’m So Much Smarter Than That Show Was” http://t.co/hJHvq9hbbH #celebrity
— elecebrity (@elecebrity) February 19, 2015
Ah zabenya!!! @chelseahandler’s Netflix special “Uganda Be Kidding Me” comes out Oct. 10 pic.twitter.com/NzINbia1R4
— HuffPostEnt (@HuffPostEnt) September 23, 2014
While Handler and Netflix are still working out the details of her new show, Handler is clearly excited about the collaboration. “It’s nice to be involved in a show where I do respect their opinions,” she said. “I respect Netflix. So it’s like going out with a guy that you’re proud to be seen with.”
One of the reasons why Handler chose Netflix is because she believes they offer more creative control when it comes to their programming. According to Handler, “Network TV is so limited. There are so many parameters. I don’t want to be plugged into something and do a job someone else did for 10 years. I want to create my own job.”
Handler hopes that her new show will move on from the celebrity gossip of Chelsea Lately to more substantial subject matter including international politics and human interest stories. To quote Handler, “the kind of well-roundedness of 60 minutes but faster, quicker, cooler”.