Chelsea Handler Sets First Stand Up Special in Six Years at HBO Max

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – HBO Max is continuing to build up its original stand up comedy offerings with a greenlight for a new special from Chelsea Handler. The special will be Handler’s first in six years.

“I didn’t want to return to stand-up until I had something important to say. I do now” said Handler. “I’m absolutely delighted to be doing this with HBO Max and always excited to be reunited with Bob Greenblatt. One of the only executives I can never have sex with.”

The news comes after Handler completed a national tour for her New York Times bestselling memoir “Life Will Be the Death of Me.” The special is said to touch on Handler’s family, friendships, and her first foray into therapy. It will be executive produced by Handler, Irving Azoff, and Allison Statter.

“No one makes me laugh like Chelsea and we are thrilled to partner with her on this long awaited return to standup,” said Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president of original comedy and animation for HBO Max. “We feel lucky to be able to share with our audience her evolution and personal growth that she relays so beautifully in this hour special.’

HBO Max announced back in December that it had also greenlit new comedy specials from stars like Tracy Morgan, John Early, Rose Matafeo, and Ahir Shah, along with a slate of five specials from Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco.

The new streaming service will launch on May 27. Along with a range of library content, HBO Max will feature original programming like the romantic comedy anthology series “Love Life” starring Anna Kendrick. The streamer also announced Wednesday that it will debut the long awaited Snyder Cut of “Justice League” in 2021.