Chelsea Handler dated former NBC and ABC chairman Ted Harbert for four years before breaking off the relationship. During an interview last year, Handler brought attention to the relationship once again by revealing a threesome relationship with her masseuse. She shared that she ended up hooking up with the masseuse without Harbert, which prompted her to break things off with him.
However, in a later interview, she clarified that she didn’t leave Harbert for the masseuse. She also added that she forgot that she revealed raunchy details about her and Harbert’s personal lives until she got a text message from the former TV executive. Needless to say, Harbert was not happy about Handler’s revelation.
Chelsea Handler Did Not End Relationship With Ted Harbert Over A Masseuse
Chelsea Handler didn’t hold anything back when she appeared on the Sirius XM podcast with Andy Cohen in 2023. When Cohen asked her whether she dated a woman, she revealed the hot threesome she had with her ex-partner and a masseuse. She shared that she was very turned on by the woman and hooked up with the masseuse without her partner.
She added that it was at that point that she realized that she had to break things off with her partner. Handler then went on to reveal the ex-partner as her former boss Ted Harbert, whom she dated when she was doing the E! show Chelsea Lately. She shared with Sirius XM:
I was very turned on by this woman. I ended up hooking up with her several times without the guy that I was dating. That’s when I knew it was time to break up with the guy. I don’t think I ever revealed that, but I mean, hopefully, he’s listening now. His name is Ted Harbert.
When she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon later, she had more clarification on the matter. “I really want to clarify,” began Handler on the show before admitting that she indeed was not making up the threesome. She shared with Jimmy Fallon, “I want to go on the record that that is not why our relationship ended.” She further added:
We did have a lot of threesomes‚ and that, while that’s private it’s already out there, so I’m gonna double down on that and just say that we didn’t break up because I left him for the masseuse. That didn’t happen.
Handler revealed that she got a disappointed text from Harbert, which read, “That was not cool, please don’t do that again. Some things are better left private.” She shared that she had little idea that her interview blew up. However, she commented that the revelation about her and Harbert’s threesome gave him “a lot of street cred.”
Chelsea Handler Earlier Revealed Why She Actually Broke Up With Ted Harbert
Chelsea Handler and Ted Harbert began their relationship in 2006. They faced criticism from various corners including an allegation from fellow comedian Joan Rivers that she used her relationship with Harbert to get her own show (via THR). They eventually split in 2010.
During an interview with Marie Claire @ Work, she revealed that they couldn’t separate business from pleasure. She shared that the former TV executive focused on work too much outside office hours. She shared:
I would come home from work, and Ted would be like, ‘Do you want to watch your show?’ and I’d be like, ‘No, I just came from my show. That’s the last thing I’d want to do.’ That was the reason it didn’t work out, ultimately. I think.
Handler moved on to other relationships, including rapper 50 Cent, hotelier Andre Balazs, and comedian Jo Koy. Harbert married Lisa Medrano in 2011.
