Chelsea Handler has never been afraid to speak her mind, but this time instead of no-holds-barred humor the 43-year-old comedian is speaking out for others by speaking up about the advantages she has had both personally and professionally.
Comedy and politics have always intersected but it wasn't until the 2016 Presidential election that Handler got a lot more serious about being political.
In 2017, after the election of President Donald Trump, Handler announced she was leaving her Netflix show Chelsea in order to pursue political activism.
Handler is now returning to Netflix with a documentary about white privilege. Last week Handler went on The Ellen DeGeneres show to talk about the new series, the advantages she has had, and the upcoming mid-term elections.
"For me, it's an important subject matter right now," Handler said about her Netflix series. "It's like, What are the people that are benefiting from this gonna do about it?' And I'm somebody who's benefiting from it."
Coming up as a comedian Handler believes a much of her success could be attributed to her privilege. "I had every advantage and every door opened for me, And when I started to look around at people that don't have as successful a career I started to feel really gross about myself."
Now Handler want to use her platform to speak for those who don't have the same privileges, and she's asking others to do the same, especially during the upcoming election.
"I feel like it's very important if you have a platform to use it to stick out your neck for people who don't," Handler told DeGeneres when asked about her political activism.
"We always have to look to black women. Black women always vote in their best interest. 94 percent of black women voted for Hillary Clinton, while 53 percent of white women voted for that guy. They always know what's up and we have to be sisters to them.
Social media was quick to rally behind Handler's message.
@hosthetic @laurencowart https://t.co/vED6hP3dJF— Ninja-Style Headwear (@Ninja-Style Headwear)1540305364.0
@hosthetic https://t.co/Ihbu8R2zP4— Savannah Is in Querying Mode. #LettucePrey (@Savannah Is in Querying Mode. #LettucePrey)1540307633.0
*THIS* Chelsea Handler shares a realization about her own #whiteprivilege & to be quite honest she hits the nail on… https://t.co/YkukSlqkrj— EBONY MAGAZINE (@EBONY MAGAZINE)1540317859.0
And many appreciated Handler working towards being an ally and using her platform for the benefit of others.
@laurencowart @hosthetic People with a voice actually using it, very dope— Ninja-Style Headwear (@Ninja-Style Headwear)1540305817.0
@ira @BookishBren She has changed so much in the past 5yrs. It would be easy to sit back & do nothing, but she's co… https://t.co/3wysSjICZh— 🌸LT🌸 (@🌸LT🌸)1540475260.0
Especially in her message about the upcoming elections.
@hosthetic @PiperPerabo Voting,in the best interest for black women, would help all women. Fundamentally women sho… https://t.co/s1NZ7RbbKP— Sheila R Mason (@Sheila R Mason)1540408549.0
@hosthetic Voting in the best interest of Black women is voting in the interest of all women. When you protect blac… https://t.co/XPCBYHDaSA— Dr. Lynn Roseberry (@Dr. Lynn Roseberry)1540364388.0
Regardless of political stance, working towards a free and equal country for all is a message anyone can agree on.
@ira “I’m dying to know how I can be a better person” is something soooo many of us should repeat on the daily.— oscr🇵🇷 (@oscr🇵🇷)1540415177.0