Chelsea Handler Says She Wouldn't Have Been 'Open' to Jo Koy Romance Without Therapy

Chelsea Handler's relationship with boyfriend Jo Koy came at the right time in her life.

In an interview for E! News' digital cover story, the former Chelsea host opened up about how her romance with Koy, 50, differs from her past relationships.

"Well, I'm an adult now, you know, for the most part," said Handler, 47. "I had gone a long time without ever sitting down to contemplate or reflect. And therapy changed that. It gives you the gift of self-awareness. I would never have been open to dating Jo Koy unless I had had therapy."

She continued, "So what's different about it is, I'm in a different place. He's in a different place. He's a man and I'm a woman, whereas before I was a girl and he was a boy. It's been a great love story. I didn't really think I would get this."

Handler also said she felt Koy was someone who added positivity to her life.

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"Jo was the first person in my life who I didn't want to leave. He was the first man, romantically, in a long time that didn't annoy me," she said.

"That's been my MO with men always is that they don't know when to leave or they don't know when to stop talking," she continued. "I always felt like 'Nope, this isn't right, this isn't it.' And I would cut things off right away as soon as I felt that. So, to have a slow burn where I was hanging out with Jo for a year before anything transpired was something I had never experienced."

Though Handler admitted the attraction between the two "wasn't there in the beginning," she said that "it developed over time."

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"Then I fell madly in love with him and I'm still in love with him," she added. "He's always in a good mood and he's always ready to go. Like, that is the best energy to be around."

Before getting together, Handler and Koy had been friends for nearly 20 years. They also frequently worked together on her former Chelsea Lately series.

Handler made the pair's relationship Instagram official in September.

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Nearly three months later, Handler opened up about how the two were able to transition from friends to romantic partners. "I had to make the moves," she said during E!'s 2021 People's Choice Awards pre-show.

"He's too polite and he's a gentleman," she continued. "Finally, I said, 'Jo, what's the deal? Do you have a crush on me or don't you?' And then I moved in on him."