Chelsea Handler Blames Dating Apps for Men's Reluctance to Commit

Comedian Chelsea Handler criticized modern dating during an appearance on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast, blaming men for the problems in today's culture.

Handler argued that dating apps and endless options have produced a generation reluctant to commit. "It’s very hard in today’s world to meet straight guys that have their shit together… something’s wrong. I don’t know what’s wrong," she said.

The 51-year-old comic said she first aimed to help women connect with quality men but saw that many successful women share the same frustration. "So, I was initially trying to help straight women meet straight men…" she explained. "But I think with dating apps and social media, there’s just so much abundance and so much choice that nobody really feels like they have to… lock it in."

Handler said swipe culture has eliminated effort from romance. "They can swipe through 50 women a day," she noted. "So they’re not making the effort that people used to make to date."

She praised ambitious women she knows as accomplished but said they all hit the same obstacle. "I meet all these amazing, incredible women that are like badasses," Handler said. "They have their own lives, they have their big jobs, and they’re all just like, ‘There’s no men out there.’"

Handler described her own approach as casual dating. "I wouldn’t say I’m in a relationship," she said. "I would say I’m dabbling in different areas of my life. I don’t like to be tethered to one person."

Her remarks follow her 2022 breakup with comedian Jo Koy after dating less than a year. Handler once said Koy restored her "faith in men, in love, [and] in being 100% who I am."

On the "Now What?" podcast, she said the relationship reached a point where it became clear he was not her match. "Towards the end of the relationship, it just became clear that this was not my person," Handler said.