Handler bought a clumsy response to a joke about Ariana Grande’s love life, earlier than referencing her personal relationship historical past, thirsting over Ralph Fiennes and Colin Farrell and taking goal at Cheryl Hines.
No person was protected from Chelsea Handler on the Critics Alternative Awards.
Initially slated for mid-January, the awards have been moved to Friday evening after the Los Angeles wildfires. Proper on the high of the present, Handler stood in entrance of a gaggle of first responders within the viewers, thanking them for his or her service — as everybody within the room then bought on their ft for a standing ovation.
After a video highlighting one of the best in movie and TV over the previous 12 months, Handler then hit the stage for her precise opening monologue.
“I’m your DEI host, Chelsea Handler. I wanna acknowledge that we have been by means of so much recently … our whole nation, waking up day-after-day, not realizing what information we’re gonna hear that can disappoint and horrify us,” she started, earlier than stating how essential it’s to have distractions in instances like these.
“That is why I want to personally prolong my gratitude to Justin Baldoni and Blake Full of life. I am grateful, I believe we’re all grateful and I believe we’re good,” she mentioned to laughter from the viewers.
“I believe everyone on this room, regardless of whose facet your personal, we are able to all agree to simply accept that there is most likely not going to be a sequel. It ends with us, guys.”
Chelsea Handler jokes concerning the Justin Baldoni and Blake Full of life lawsuit on the 2025 #CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/z9fUFyS8fW
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 8, 2025
@THR
She then introduced up the way it was her third time internet hosting the present, making the gig her “second longest relationship.”
“My first being with the previous head of this very community, shoutout to Ted Harbert … that was again when it was nonetheless cool to sleep along with your boss. Not so cool anymore,” quipped the previous E! host. “I spent 7 years on this community and through that point, I used to be the one girl internet hosting a late evening present. And now, 11 years later, look how far we have come.”
“In 2025, the simplest method to have a late evening speak present as a lady is to have the creators of Hacks write a fictional story about it,” she deadpanned, earlier than then pointing to the bandage on her arm and joking, “Seems St. Dennis Medical just isn’t an actual hospital. However David Alan Grieg does give one hell of a pap smear.”
Telling everybody to “drink up” as a result of “these may very well be the top of instances,” she then introduced up all the previous baby stars who discovered success this 12 months, together with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande.
Chelsea Handler brings up #WickedMovie‘s Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s relationship throughout her 2025 #CriticsChoiceAwards monologue pic.twitter.com/mfWi864zKo
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 8, 2025
@THR
“Now Ariana has even discovered love with a Munchkin!” she joked, although did not fairly get the response from the viewers that she clearly anticipated. “That is excellent news everyone!” she added, after the quip fell flat.
After praising the ladies within the room, together with June Squibb, Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson, she gave a particular shoutout to Cynthia Erivo — earlier than then joking about her press tour with Grande. “The 2 of all of them over one another. I bear in mind the primary time I did molly,” she cracked.
Citing nominee Ralph Fiennes, Handler then mentioned, “you’ve got performed a ruthless Nazi, evil lord Voldemort and now a celibate cardinal and in some way made me wish to have intercourse with you in all three roles,” she mentioned, as some screams got here from the viewers.
“I’m not alone. You’ve got made some actually unsexy individuals very attractive. So I am begging you, please, by no means play Vladimir Putin. I can not do this once more,” she mentioned.

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After then celebrating a few of this 12 months’s musical performances — together with Nicole Kidman hitting “some notes I’ve by no means heard earlier than” in Babygirl — she talked about the “motion pictures for straight individuals,” or biopics, like A Full Unknown, Maria and Anora. The latter, she quipped, was “about Melania Trump.” In that film, Mikey Madison performs a stripper/intercourse employee.
“That was a wild, wild trip. Russians and prostutiates, who would have ever related these dots. Definitely nobody on this room,” joked Handler.
She then pointed to Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James, mentioning how “incompetent” her faculty principal is on the sitcom. “I am stunned she hasn’t been tapped to run the actual division of training!” mentioned Handler.
Handler’s monologue began to wind down by citing Colin Farrell’s 4-hour transformation to turn into the titular mobster in The Penguin, joking, “Now we all know how lengthy it takes to make Colin Farrell not f–kable … however truthfully I would nonetheless hit these flippers.”
She then ended with this: “On a much less private word, tonight is about all of you. A few of you’ll win, a few of you’ll lose and a few of you’ll simply be within the background questioning your life selections, like Cheryl Hines at a Senate affirmation listening to. So let’s get the present began!”

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