The Queen of Late Night TV: Chelsea Handler

The world of late night television has historically belonged to male comedians. The lack of female comedians is especially evident on network television. Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon both host late night shows on NBC, David Letterman’s on CBS, Jimmy Kimmel’s on ABC, and Conan O’Brien used to be on NBC. Even on cable television, the comedians are predominantly male. Comedy Central rarely features female comedians. Chelsea Lately, a half hour late night comedy talk show, stands out like a bright light in this male dominated world. The show airs five days per week at 11 p.m. on the cable channel E! and is hosted by Chelsea Handler. Chelsea is blonde, fit, and possesses a killer wit.

The show has been on the air since 2007, and currently averages 900,000 viewers a night. By contrast, an April 1, 2010 ratings report indicated that Jay Leno received 4.9 million viewers, David Letterman received 4.1 million, and Jimmy Kimmel received 1.7 million viewers. While Chelsea’s ratings don’t quite compare to her contemporaries, they are especially good for a show that airs on cable.

Four days ago, on April 11, The NY Times ran a headline article on Chelsea Handler entitled “I’m Chelsea Handler. And You’re Not” by Brooks Barnes. The article begins with Chelsea sitting in a dingy backstage room in Seattle, waiting to perform stand up comedy. The lackluster veggie platter and grimy floors seem to indicate that Chelsea Handler is not a star. But, as the article quickly points out, she is the star of her own talk show and the author of three hugely successful books (titles include Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea and My Horizontal Life). And yet, despite all this, Chelsea’s in the small room, doing her own makeup and joking with her agent and her brother.

The article strains numerous times that female comedians are a rarity. Chelsea Handler, despite all of her success, is still not a household name. And yet, Chelsea is not just another male version of Jay Leno. Every night, from Monday to Friday, Chelsea is doing late night comedy her own way.

Chelsea told The NY Times on January 15, 2009 that when E! first approached her about hosting her own show:

“I said the only way I could ever do a show like this is if I can make fun of everything E! stands for,” she recalled. “I cannot be Mary Hart — or even worse, Samantha Harris — and stand there with my hip out talking about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes taking Suri to an art museum without making fun of it.”

Chelsea’s show starts with an opening monologue, where Chelsea rips on celebrity headlines, scandals, gossip, and anything else she finds funny. Favorite past celebrities to laugh about include Heidi and Spencer from The Hills, The Kardashians (who incidentally have their own show on E!), the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Lindsay Lohan all top the list. The show films at 3:30 p.m., and airs that night at 11 p.m., so her monologue always manages to address current news and gossip.

The second act of the show involves a round table consisting of Chelsea and two or three guests that she invites on. The guests are often up and coming comedians who are not household names. The round table often plays out like a conversation between friends, with Chelsea and the comedians ripping on celebrities, doing impressions, and improvising humorous jokes. Interestingly enough, the round table is often better than the celebrity interview that follows.

In the beginning, Chelsea Handler didn’t possess the clout to score A-list celebrities to interview. She often interviews television actors and B and C list actors and actresses. Past guests include Jenny McCarthy, Matt Lanter (an actor from “90210” on the CW), and Holly Madison (a Playmate). In the past few months, as Chelsea’s recognition has risen, she has been able to secure higher profile guests. But despite this, the highlight of her show continues to be her opening monologue and her round table, as opposed to her celebrity guest.

When I watch Jimmy Fallon or Jay Leno, it’s often because I’m a fan of the celebrity that’s being interviewed. It would never occur to me to watch the show if I didn’t know or wasn’t a fan of the guests that night. But with Chelsea Lately, I’ll turn in regardless of the guest because I know she’s consistently funny.

It will be interesting to see how Chelsea’s career continues to play out on television. Being on cable television allows her certain liberties with content, and enables her to get away with racier jokes than her network channel rivals.

Mr. Morton, a former producer of “The Late Show With David Letterman,” told The NY Times, ““When there is a decision to be made about replacing somebody on a big network show,” he says, “I guarantee Chelsea will be up there on the list.”

If Chelsea Handler does ever move to network television, one wonders how much (if at all her) her persona will change to fit the mold of the network. A woman’s never heralded a late night show before on network television.

Works Cited

Barnes, Brooks. “I’m Chelsea Handler. And You’re Not.” New York Times 9 April 2010.

Rice, Lynette. “Jay Leno’s first month back at ‘Tonight Show’: Yep, he’s winning.” Ew.com. Entertainment Weekly, 1 Apr 2010. Web. 14 Apr 2010.

Stelter, Brian. “A New Bigmouth on Late Night.” New York Times 15 January 2009.