Chelsea Handler sparks romance rumors as she cozies up to mystery guy one year after Jo Koy split… but insists she’s still single
Chelsea Handler took to Instagram this week to share what fans thought was a photo with a new love interest.
The 48-year-old New Jersey resident — who was recently stung by a wasp — posted a photo of herself kissing an unknown man’s cheek in the app’s Stories feature, leading followers to believe she was in a new romantic relationship.
The unidentified man wrapped his arms around the former Chelsea Lately talk show host as he smiled at the camera. Handler, who ended her romance with Jo Koy in July 2022, wrote on the image: “This is my baby.”
Showing off her famously playful personality, she added: “He is full of love and positivity and his body is my wonderland.”
But the star had to clarify in a follow-up video on Instagram: “I have not announced a new boyfriend.”
Confusion: Chelsea Handler took to Instagram this week to share what fans thought was a photo with a new love interest — she later clarified that the man was a bartender during her vacation
The funny woman reappeared on the photo-sharing app on Wednesday night to clarify her relationship status.
She filmed herself in bed, dressed in a luxurious white robe and her hair in a high bun, and set the record straight.
“My vacation is over, guys, and now my publicists are calling me. They just texted me with a Google thing of mine saying, “Chelsea Handler announces new boyfriend on Instagram.”
‘I haven’t announced a new boyfriend on Instagram. That man is the bartender next to my house in Mallorca and that’s why he’s my baby, okay?’
She continued, “Baby doesn’t mean boyfriend. Baby means he’s my baby because he’s made me so many drinks.”
Chelsea seemed amused and annoyed at the same time as she added, “I can’t believe I have to clarify things like this so I don’t get cousins in my text messages saying, ‘Is this real?’ Do you have a new boyfriend?
In a second, short video, she corrected her Freudian slip by saying, “I clearly meant ‘texts from my cousins.’ Sorry, I brought an edible piece.”
It comes just over a year after Chelsea and boyfriend Jo, 52, ended their relationship.
Former flame: The confusing post comes more than a year after her split from Jo Koy; in the photo in 2021
Fun: The comedian recently reflected on her Spanish vacation and called part of the trip “legendary”
Last December, Chelsea revealed in an interview with Brooke Shields that things were still tense between her and Jo.
On the podcast Now What? she admitted that she and the stand-up comic hadn’t spoken in “a while” following their breakup.
She noted that the two were no longer friends, and that she thought they could never be friends again until her ex takes “responsibility” for behavior that contributed to their divorce.
“I don’t think we can have a friendship until some accountability is taken and some accountability is taken,” she said.
Handler, who dated Koy for 11 months before they split, said their relationship began to fall apart over time, seemingly pointing the finger at her ex.
“There were just some behaviors that we couldn’t agree on,” she said. “And I felt like I was going to have to let myself down, which maybe I could have done when I was 20 or 25, but I wasn’t willing to do that.”
“I was like, ‘I’m not going to change the way I behave to make you feel more comfortable. I don’t do that,” she explained.
She recalled, “Walking away from him was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.”
Mallorca: The Life Will Be The Death Of Me author recently shared outtakes from her holiday in Spain
Earlier this week the star gushed about her water holiday. “I am so grateful to have so many friends who come to my house and love Mallorca as I have come to love it,” she wrote.
Handler added in an Instagram caption, “The food, the magic, the sangria. You have all brought so much joy to my life, and now it’s time to get back to work!!
“I’ll see you all in NYC this week for two shows at the Beacon and two shows in DC, Durham, and then two shows at the Pantages in LA!
‘I’ve never played at the Pantages before and I can’t wait to see you all on October 12 and 13. I had a lot of adventures this summer and one of them was filmed for these pornographic slow mo videos. I’ve also kissed every man in the harbor on the lips because I’m single and love to flirt!’