Chelsea Handler Credits Jo Koy 2022 Split To 'Choosing Myself And My Sanity'

Chelsea Handler finally addresses her reasons for breaking up with Jo Koy in 2022.

Handler noted that she was at a crossroads in the relationship and ultimately decided to do what was best for her mental health, although it was difficult.

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy were good friends for nearly two decades before becoming lovers, and they broke up almost a year later.

Handler appeared on the Monday episode of the Armchair Expert podcast and detailed her thought process when she ended things with Koy. She acknowledged that she basically had no choice but to end things due to their starkly different perspectives on life.

"I felt like it was a decision between having a relationship and being full-on or choosing myself and my sanity — sanity is an overstatement — but I would have compromised my own value system," the actress shared.

While things started out perfect and almost a divinely orchestrated alignment at first, Handler soon realized they wanted different things out of life.

According to her, what she thought was a "mature, healthy relationship and what he thought was a mature, healthy relationship were two different things."

The star added that continuing with the relationship meant she would have had to compromise everything she stood for, which was not on the table for her.

Although Handler recalled having different ideas about coupling and expectations from each other as partners, she still left the relationship learning a lot about life. Handler stressed:

"The biggest takeaway from that relationship was A, that I was able to be in love in a vulnerable, mature, healthy way and that when I realized it wasn't going to work out I was able to end it in a healthy, mature way and not divulge all of the stuff and the ugliness that may have happened in between because I didn't want to focus on that."

The superstar also discovered her capacity and threshold for love through the relationship. She discovered the beauty of vulnerability and now wants more of it.

"He got me at a point in my life where I needed to be reminded of my strength and my power of who I am, and he reinstalled that in me because I had kind of lost interest in my work and the job," the award show host concluded.

The Blast shared that Handler relished the remnants of their relationship, claiming that she had lost faith in men before igniting the fire of romance with Koy.

"And then, I got into a relationship, and that faith was renewed, and it made me open-minded and open-hearted, and I remain that way," the talk show host explained. The duo began seeing each other romantically in late 2021 and confirmed their romance in September of that year.

Cupid sheathed its swords in July 2022 when they announced that their almost one-year relationship had ended. The actress remained grateful for their short-lived romantic relationship covering work and romantic arrangements. 

The 53-year-old directed Handler's latest Netflix special, "Revolution." She expressed her satisfaction with the collaboration, stating that working on the special together was a great experience.

Koy and Handler connected through a mutual friend nearly a decade ago, and they kept their relationship strictly platonic until 2021. The actor was also a familiar presence on Handler's late-night show "Chelsea Lately," which ran from 2007 to 2014.

On July 18, 2022, Handler shared a video meant to commemorate their first anniversary on Instagram but now served as an announcement video for their breakup. Handler tagged Koy's love as one of the greatest gifts she has received. In her words:

"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."

The TV guru confessed that she was in a lot of pain at the time when she stepped out of the relationship. Handler emphasized that "walking away from him was one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do."

In 2023, The Blast gathered from Koy that he still remained great friends with the actress regardless of the failure of their romantic relationship. 

"It was a beautiful time, and she's doing beautiful things right now. She's crushing it right now, so I have nothing but the best love for her," the American actor shared.

During the relationship, Handler often raved about how Koy made her feel empowered and sexy. The comedian shared that Koy told her cellulite is what separates a real woman from the others. "That's f-cking sexy. The more, the merrier," the E! star gushed about the actor's comments on her body.

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy are the epitome of maturity!