Tearful Chelsea Handler Says She's "Optimistic" About the Future After Jo Koy Breakup

Chelsea Handler is trying to find the hope in heartbreak.

Earlier this week, the comedian announced on Instagram that her romantic relationship with Jo Koy had ended. Now, the former Chelsea Lately host is opening up about the lessons she's learned from the breakup.

"I feel optimistic about the future now," she said on the We Can Do Hard Things With Glennon Doyle podcast. "I've changed so much. And I've loved. My love was like so big that it just blew me open and as painful as the ending of something like that is, I'm so well-versed in therapy and understanding that every door shutting is a new beginning and I do believe it."

While Chelsea and Jo were close to celebrating their one-year anniversary, the pair decided together that it was best to take a break. If you ask the best-selling author, there is power is pressing pause.

"I think that when you have the grounding and the courage to say that something isn't working, you're saying a lot more than that to the whole world," Chelsea told host Glennon Doyle. "You are inviting in things that are gonna be more workable and suited to your needs and what you're available for."

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy's Cutest Pics

She added, "I'm really happy to be handling a breakup in an honest way for the first time in my life."

After the podcast taping, Glennon expressed how moved she was by Chelsea's tear-filled candor. In fact, she said the conversation "changed my heart."

"It's a lesson on how to love and how to let go," Glennon wrote on Instagram. "I love you @ChelseaHandler. Thanks for showing us how to do hard things with love, courage and integrity."

Jo frequently appeared on Chelsea Lately, which ran from 2007 to 2014. While the pair hit it off, the two kept their relationship platonic. Things changed, however, in 2021 when the duo reconnected during the coronavirus pandemic.

"To be loved and adored by @jokoy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life," Chelsea shared on Instagram. "He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I've never been more optimistic for the future. Jo- you blew my creativity open, my lust for working hard again, being on the road again, and you reminded me who I was and always have been, and my feet have never been more firmly planted in the ground."

And in her latest podcast interview, Chelsea made it clear that nobody cheated. Instead, it just didn't work out.

"With Jo, he just kept showing up and showing up and showing up and I capitulated because I fell for him and I fell in love with him because he has so many amazing qualities and I realized what a partnership can be," she said. "Jo is part of my story. Jo is not my whole story. There is still more to come."

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