Chelsea Handler has broken her silence following her ‘painful’ split with Joe Coy

Putting yourself first. Chelsea Handler talks about his breakup with Joe Who days after confirming their split.

“It’s good to bend to people. It’s good to learn how to compromise. It’s good to learn how to show my love in public. I believe Joe needed that,” Handler, 47, said during an appearance Wednesday, July 20, on the We Can Do Hard Things With Glennon Doyle podcast. “I was so inspired by us, but Joe didn’t break me. My psychiatrist opened me up and then I was open and then I was able to bend for someone. But you can’t change someone internally.”

She added: “I feel, you know, optimistic about the future now. I had changed so much and my love was so great that it just blew me away. And as painful as it is to end something like that, I’m so familiar with therapy and I understand that every door that closes is a new beginning, and I believe that.”

The former Chelsea lately host and Easter Sunday star, 51, dated for almost a year before calling it quits. While chatting with the podcast host Glennon DoyleHandler claims her now-ex is unable to compromise.

“I’m proud of myself because I didn’t let myself cross that line,” he said Life will be my death said the author, noting that she and Coy had reached a crossroads in their relationship. “I understand the desire to avoid that, the avoidance of wanting to watch with that, and I think I’m at a place in my life where I need to be with someone who’s where I’m at with that.”

Handler confirmed the pair’s split on Monday, July 18, sharing a video they originally planned to release on their first anniversary. Instead, the footage was accompanied by a lengthy parting statement.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that we have decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now,” she wrote on Monday. “I know many of you were invested in our love and I wanted to express to you how much it means to both of us. How much more it means. And how much I now believe in love for each of us.”

Handler, who began dating the Washington, D.C. native in September 2021, added a sweet message to her former partner, writing: “You blew my creativity, my thirst to work hard again, to be on the road again and remind me who I am and always have been, and my feet have never been more firmly planted on the ground. … This is not an end, but another beginning. It’s comforting to know that I’m still in love and I love this man the way the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sun.”

The New Jersey native admitted on Wednesday that the couple had quietly split a month before announcing the news. Ultimately, Handler wanted to put himself first.

“It means nothing to Joe Coy,” she added during the podcast interview. “I love him and he’s on his own path. If I have to choose one person, I have to choose myself. … Nobody cheated or anything. It just didn’t work out.”

She concluded: “I did everything I could to make it work, but it didn’t. I wanted to make sure everyone knew that this was a different me. This is the first time I’ve ended a relationship where I feel like an adult.”

Koy, for her part, addressed the duo’s split via Instagram on Tuesday, July 19, assuring fans that she still remains in Handler’s corner. “I just want everyone to know that Chelsea and I will always remain great friends and always love each other,” he captioned a photo with his ex. “I’m her biggest fan and can’t wait for you all to see what she has in store for the future. Keep killing it Chelsea!”