Why She's Leaving 'Chelsea Lately'

We've known for some time that one of our favorite brassy, no-holds-barred comediennes was leaving her E! show, but we didn't know exactly why. My assumption is always that there's not enough free snacks, but Chelsea Handler has now said why she quit Chelsea Lately . She revealed at the Gloria Awards and Gala (and birthday of Gloria Steinem) that she's leaving the show to "exercise [her] brain."

Think about it! I'll give you a metaphor: in order to be physically fit, you have to work out all of your muscles and do more than just cardio. Let's say you only went to spin class with all of the moms every day, but did little to no upper body workouts (sorry — this is getting personal here). You'd have calves of steel, and your cardiovascular health would be stellar, but you wouldn't be able to open a can of chickpeas without asking someone for help, which is the most embarrassing thing in the world and I know because I've been there. Doing the same thing over and over again won't give you the full benefits of working out — you have to mix it up. The brain is also a muscle, so the same thing goes there. You've got to vary what you do in order to succeed.

Handler said:

I don't have a plan. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm just done with this show. I want to move on. I want to exercise my brain a little bit more.' And people said, 'You can't do that. You can't leave a job in Hollywood when you have nothing lined up.' I said, 'Yes, I can. Watch me. I'm going to do that.' And I did it. I mean, I'm not gone yet, I got a contract, but I'm gonna be gone. And it's because of Gloria that women like us have those kinds of options.

Amen, lady. Another reason to love the ballsy woman. Yes, she's asked people to stop asking her what's next — but whatever she does after Chelsea Lately goes off the air, we're definitely going to tune in. Whatever equipment she decides to grab onto in order to exercise her brain, we're going to watch, partly because this woman is awesome and partly because she's essentially saying, "hey, Hollywood execs. There's a lady grabbing whatever equipment she wants. Don't tell me I can't grab the equipment. because I will."

The fitness equipment at the gym, I mean. It was a metaphor, remember?!? — Well, that double entendre could work, too. This is a strong feminist lady with major ladyballs, after all.