Chelsea Handler Says Of Her Late Night TV Gig: "My Brain Is Bleeding"
Posted on Fri Jun 3rd, 2011 10:53am PDT By X17 Staff
Chelsea Handler may be putting an end to her super-successful E! talk show, she tells The Hollywood Reporter.
In the latest issue's cover story, Handler tells the mag:
The comedienne has built an empire based on best-selling books and her hit TV show, which premiered on E! in 2007. Her contract with the cable network expires at the end of 2012 and Handler is currently in negotiations for a new deal. She says:
Chelsea Lately brought in $40 million in ad revenue for E! in 2009, so the network certainly sees some value in Handler right now. The show gets about 1 million viewers, coming in fourth on E! behind the Kardashians' shows, Kendra and Holly's World.
But Handler, who is now worth about $22 million on her own, thanks to her four books, Lately, Are You There, Vodka? (her new pilot on NBC, E!'s sister network) and stand-up tours, may not need E! anymore. Even if the she stays at E!, Handler guarantees her show will change. See how after the jump.
Handler, who has final say on all of her projects, says she wants to take Chelsea Lately to a more intellectual level in terms of content.In the latest issue's cover story, Handler tells the mag:
- "I want to do something that's going to utilize my brain a little more than this show. ... my brain is bleeding. I want to do something that's more mindful and isn't celebrity-centered."
The comedienne has built an empire based on best-selling books and her hit TV show, which premiered on E! in 2007. Her contract with the cable network expires at the end of 2012 and Handler is currently in negotiations for a new deal. She says:
- "We'll see how it goes and if it works out for me to stick around here. It's a lengthy process. They tell you you're valuable, and then you get a counter and you think, 'I guess you really don't care about me at all.' Nothing is set in stone, so if things go south, then obviously I'll be moving along."
Chelsea Lately brought in $40 million in ad revenue for E! in 2009, so the network certainly sees some value in Handler right now. The show gets about 1 million viewers, coming in fourth on E! behind the Kardashians' shows, Kendra and Holly's World.
But Handler, who is now worth about $22 million on her own, thanks to her four books, Lately, Are You There, Vodka? (her new pilot on NBC, E!'s sister network) and stand-up tours, may not need E! anymore. Even if the she stays at E!, Handler guarantees her show will change. See how after the jump.
- "If Lately is the show that I'm going to do, it's going to change. But it may turn out that I'm done with it altogether. ... I want to educate people and deliver news that isn't just surrounded by Charlie Sheen. I'd like to be able to do the serious stuff in conjunction with the comedy. I'd like to make an impact and have more responsibility than I do now."