Chelsea Handler is known for her acerbic wit and for not caring much about who she might offend with her jokes, so when she’s warned to watch what she says about someone, it’s entirely possible it will just make her want to talk about them more.
Though she’s had no comment on the rumor yet, word is spreading that she and her writers were warned by Comcast execs to back off of the Matt Lauer/Ann Curry jokes because they don’t want extra attention being drawn to the situation. Comcast owns both NBC and E!.
Although E! has denied that such a demand came down from the bosses, a source says it is indeed true and centers around the controversial way Curry left “Today”, when rumors swirled that it was because Matt Lauer wanted her gone.
“Chelsea’s writers were warned to lay off Matt,” the source told the NY Post, “They don’t want them making more fun of Matt and the Ann Curry situation right now.”
The order allegedly came after Handler made a joke based on Al Roker’s recent admission that he once soiled himself while visiting the White House.
“This isn’t the first time a TODAY show cast member was in the news about this sensitive subject,” Handler said. “For years, it was common knowledge that Matt Lauer spent every morning s***ting all over Ann Curry.”
Curry reportedly has been begging producers at NBC to let her out of her contract–which states she can’t appear on another news outlet for two years (after her termination). Word is, she’s been offered a high-profile gig at CNN.