Chelsea Handler has never been one to hold back, and her latest comments about billionaire Elon Musk prove she’s as brutally honest as ever. During a live interview at South by Southwest (SXSW), the comedian was hit with an outrageous suggestion—date Musk to “save the U.S.” Her response? Pure gold.
Handler sat down with New York magazine contributing editor Kara Swisher for a conversation that quickly turned viral. Though the full interview has yet to air on Swisher’s podcast, On With Kara Swisher, the journalist teased a few key moments on Instagram, including one jaw-dropping exchange that had the audience in stitches.
“I told her to take one for the team and date Elon Musk,” Swisher confessed, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Handler didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, I’m not that much of a teammate,” she shot back.
Swisher pressed on, joking, “He has the money.”
Handler’s response was nothing short of legendary: “I don’t think I can do it. I mean, there’s a lot I would do for this country. But having sex with Elon Musk is not one of them. I can’t. I can’t.”
Her brutal honesty didn’t stop there. Handler also weighed in on Musk’s newly appointed, and highly controversial, role in Donald Trump’s administration. The Tesla CEO now serves as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position critics say has only created more dysfunction in Washington.
“I mean, did anyone vote for Elon Musk to be the president?” Handler asked the SXSW audience. “Can’t we come together—Republicans and Democrats—and say we don’t want that? Can’t we agree on that at least?”
The Biden administration, along with Democratic leaders, has slammed the DOGE initiative as nothing more than a ploy to gut federal agencies while protecting a 2017 tax cut benefiting the ultra-wealthy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t hold back when speaking to HuffPost, calling the spending cuts a sham designed to “preserve tax breaks for their billionaire buddies.”
Handler seemed to echo that sentiment, making it clear that Musk’s growing influence in government was a cause for concern. Yet, when it comes to fighting back against Trump’s policies, she admitted there’s no easy solution—except one.
“Trump is not out for anybody but rich people, as we all know,” she said, according to The Daily Beast. “Everyone who voted for him in the hopes of something else or some aspirational hope of a better life, a better economy, they’re wrong. That’s not going to happen.”
She then issued a bold prediction about the next midterms: “People aren’t going to be pleased with this.”
Swisher, pointing out Handler’s own financial standing, reminded the comedian that she’s among those who benefit from Trump’s tax cuts. Handler’s response? Pure class. “Yeah, I don’t need the help. I’m happy to give my money to the people.”
Chelsea Handler may not have all the answers, but one thing is certain—dating Elon Musk is definitely off the table.
