Chelsea Handler needed therapy before interviewing conservatives for white privilege documentary
‘When somebody’s annoying, I want to tell them that they’re annoying,’ comedian said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea Handler “had to do a lot of therapy” before she interviewed right-wing Republicans for her new documentary, the comedian has claimed.
Handler is the host of Netflix’s Hello Privilege, It’s Me Chelsea, which sees her explore white privilege in America and how it has benefited her own professional career and personal life.
One encounter in the film sees Handler speaking to right-wing women who claim that white privilege is a “miniscule problem” and that people don’t speak enough about “black privilege” in education and in the workplace, and later suggesting that single-parent families are rife in black American households.
Speaking on the US talk show The View, Handler said she had to prepare herself for the encounter.
“I had to do a lot of therapy to even have these conversations with people because I have a temper and I’m reactive,” she explained. “When somebody’s annoying, I want to tell them that they’re annoying or that they’re stupid.”
She went on to explain, however, that she intended the documentary to be about listening to other people’s viewpoints.
“My exercise in this film was to be more quiet and to stop inserting myself and saying ‘you’re wrong, you’re wrong,’ and to let them say [things],” she said. “To [create] kind of a space for everybody to speak openly.”
Hello Privilege, It’s Me Chelsea was released on Netflix last week. Writing for Vice, journalist Kristin Corry said the documentary sees Handler “stumbling through a well-meaning but misguided reckoning with her place in the world”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments