Chelsea Handler has said she will never have sex with Elon Musk, even if it would help the country.
The actress and comedian sat down with journalist Kara Swisher on Saturday at an appearance at South by Southwest, the music and tech festival taking place this week in Austin.
The 50-year-old took the opportunity to discuss her feelings on Trump 2.0 just weeks into the new administration, including “first buddy” Musk. Handler told the audience that she is not going to let the president and his allies make her miserable this time around.
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“You know the first Trump presidency, for instance, I let it take me down, and I let it steal my joy. And I am not going to do that again,” she said. “It’s the power of being optimistic in the dark and not going down a wormhole.”
Swisher suggested that Handler date Musk and try to persuade him away from the dark side. “I told her to take one for the team and date Elon Musk and bring him back,” she told the audience.
The comedian’s answer was a hard no. “There’s a lot I would do for the country, but having sex with Elon Musk is not one of them. I can’t.”
Handler has criticized the president and his allies in the past. In one of her most recent lashings last month, while hosting the Critics Choice Awards and dubbing herself the “DEI host,” Handler took a swipe at Melania Trump. In 2023, she labelled Musk “repugnant.”
“I like a variety of men. I like men in my life,” she clarified to Swisher at SXSW. “I’m not a settle-down kind of girl.” Swisher told her she would be Vice President JD Vance’s nightmare. “Those types of men that want to keep women at home and being mothers, and you know, not having a career, like that’s just so antiquated and it’s so slow and it’s so boring,” the comedian responded. “I think the political situation we’re in is a direct reflection of the fact that men are so scared of women. Like why are you acting like this if you’re not?”
However, she doesn’t think men like J.D. Vance will succeed in suppressing women. “Women are more powerful and more independent than we’ve ever been, and that isn’t going to change.”
On Musk, Handler told the audience that she can’t even stand the thought of the billionaire being in the Oval Office. “I mean did anyone vote for Elon Musk to be the president?’ she said. “I mean, can’t we come together—Republicans and Democrats—and say we don’t want that. Can’t we agree on that at least?”
“I don’t know why we can’t somehow figure out a way to get together and at least have one goal in mind to not be, you know, a Russian asset.”
Handler said she doesn’t “have answers” on how Democrats should fight back against Trump, but she does think Republicans might suffer in the next elections. “Trump is not out for anybody but rich people, as we all know,” she said. “Everyone who voted for him in the hopes of something else or some aspirational hope of a better life, a better economy, they’re wrong. That’s not going to happen.”
She added: “People aren’t going to be pleased with this when the next midterms come around.”
When Swisher pointed out that Trump’s tax cuts will help people like her, she responded, “Yeah, I don’t need the help. I’m happy to give my money to the people.”
Handler joked that she will “spend some time apologizing to our European allies, allies we love so much,” during her upcoming standup tour of Europe.
“I’m going to go and do some public service work over there,” she said.
For more, listen to Chelsea Handler on The Last Laugh podcast.
