Chelsea Handler is leaving E! for the streaming service Netflix, according to the Hollywood Reporter, when her contract expires at the end of the year. Handler, who was earlier reported to be leaving E! after eight shows of hosting the popular late night show "Chelsea Lately." Handler is in talks with the subscription-video service for a new show, according to the New York Post. "Handler has a deal with Netflix, but the format is to be decided," said one source close to the talks.
"Chelsea intends to leave when her contract expires," Irving Azoff (Handler's manager) told THR. "She hired me to figure out her life after E! We have at least seven suitors and many ideas." At the time, Azoff said that plans for Handler could include a radio show or a late-night show on another network or digital service. Handler has long been vocal about her dissatisfaction with the E! network, even accusing the network of incompetent programming as ratings declines. She was very open about her dislike of her current employed when she went on Howard Stern's satellite-radio show a few weeks ago. She described the network as a "sad, sad, place to live."
"They don't know what they're doing [at E!]. They have no ideas. It's a failure," she told Stern. During the interview, she also mentioned that she thought Netflix would be a good place to start a new show. Netflix has been making a name for itself with original shows such as "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black."
Previously there were rumors that Handler could replace David Letterman on CBS. "I have never had nor will have any desire to take a job someone else has already had. Speculation to the contrary is inaccurate. Godspeed" Handler tweeted after speculation that she was in the running for David Letterman's CBS Late Night slot.
Reps for Handler and Netflix declined to comment.