Chelsea Handler’s midlife crisis

Chelsea Handler credits President Donald Trump with triggering her “big catharsis” this past year, she explains to Salon’s D. Watkins on “Salon Talks.” Handler’s new memoir “Life Will Be the Death of Me,” her sixth book, offers both hilarious and vulnerable reflections on her Trump-activated midlife crisis.

Following Trump’s inauguration, the comedian embarked on a year-old commitment to therapy. She asked herself, “What am I doing? I'm in my 40s. What is my identity? How tied to fame am I? Is this the most important thing? Is this the only thing I'm gonna be known for is having a television show?”

Handler details how a year of tuning in awoke the underlying traumas in her life, including losing her older brother Chet tragically during childhood. “I don't want everybody to go through life the way that I did from nine to 40, completely blocking out any sort of trauma,” Handler said. “I didn't wanna address it, I didn't wanna talk about it. That's not the way you should go through life, so I think I finally had something that I could share that I thought would be important.”

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Hosted by Salon journalists, “Salon Talks” episodes offer a fresh take on the long-form interview format, and a much-needed break from the partisan political talking heads that have come to dominate the genre. “Salon Talks” is a destination for information through conversation. Viewers can expect discussions with A-list actors, artists, authors, thinkers, and newsmakers as we explore the full range of the human condition. The show streams live on Facebook and YouTube and each episode is published in full on Salon.com.

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