Photo by Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea Handler Denies Ralph Fiennes Dating Rumors — But Admits, ‘I’d Like to F***’
Chelsea Handler is finally addressing the long-swirling rumors about her relationship with Ralph Fiennes.
While appearing on the “Chicks in the Office” podcast on Wednesday, January 7, the comedian, 50, was asked point-blank about speculation that she and the Harry Potter actor, 63, were romantically involved after they were spotted getting cozy at last year’s Critics Choice Awards, which Chelsea hosted.
Rather than dodge the question, Chelsea leaned all the way in.
“So, I use the opportunity for these awards shows in the same ways to which I use my TV show,” she began, “which is to hit on men I’m attracted to. Last year it was Ralph Fiennes.”
The comedian then addressed the paparazzi photos that fueled the rumors — particularly shots of the two walking arm in arm after the ceremony. According to Chelsea, the chemistry was real, even if the romance never quite got off the ground.
“We had a great time but nothing happened. I wanted something to happen. We were trying to brew something, cook something up but it didn’t ever materialize,” she admitted. “Travels, scheduled and it just .. yeah, but I was looking to hit that.”
She didn’t stop there.
“At some point I’d like to f*** Ralph Fiennes,” Chelsea added bluntly.
As it turns out, their flirtation wasn’t limited to the afterparty. Chelsea and Ralph also shared a memorable onstage moment during the 2025 Critics Choice Awards that had viewers buzzing.
While presenting awards, Chelsea praised Nicole Kidman’s Babygirl as “one of my favorite movies of the year,” joking that it had “inspired me to hire a new sexy intern.” She was then handed a full glass of milk — a nod to one of the film’s most talked-about scenes — and began drinking it onstage as Ralph encouraged her.
“Good girl. Good girl. Good girl,” he said, repeating Harris Dickinson’s line from the film, sending the audience into laughter and instantly intensifying speculation about their dynamic.
Looking back, Chelsea admitted she thought there might be potential.
“He was real hot last year — and he was open because we did a bit together where I was drinking milk, so that was fun,” she said. “And he had a good sense of humor about it and I was like ‘this could be a possibility’ but it just kind of fizzled out.”
Adding another layer to the intrigue, Chelsea previously revealed she was dating someone else around the same time. During an appearance on The Jamie Kern Lima Show in March 2025, she shared that she had been seeing someone she was “very attracted to” for nine months.
“I have someone that I’m seeing now that I’m very attracted to and that I like having sex with, and so that’s a really good like nice little thing I have going,” she said in PEOPLE’s exclusive clip from the March 4 episode.
Still, Chelsea made it clear that romance has never been the centerpiece of her life.
“I think of myself as a purpose person,” she explained. “Like my purpose is here, to be here to have conversations like the one we’re having right now, to infuse people with optimism, to be there for women, that is my purpose in this life, whether they’re more lives or not.”
When it comes to relationships, she sees them as secondary — enjoyable, meaningful, but not defining.
“All I know is I know what I’m supposed to be doing, and any man that’s in my life is not the main character,” Chelsea said. “That’s a side relationship, and I love them, and I want to respect everybody, but that’s not my main M.O. in life. I’m not that kind of person.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Life & Style does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.