What did Chelsea Handler say about Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively? Comedian's monologue at Critics Choice Award 2025 explored

Stand-up comedian, actress, and writer Chelsea Handler took the stage as host of the 2025 Critics Choice Awards on February 7. During her opening monologue, Handler cracked jokes about It Ends With Us stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, who have been embroiled in a highly publicized legal battle.

For context, on December 20, 2024, Blake Lively filed an 80-page lawsuit accusing Justin Baldoni of s*xual harassment and running a social media campaign to tarnish her reputation. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging extortion, defamation, and invasion of his privacy.

During her monologue, Chelsea Handler alluded to the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires that engulfed the city last month and acknowledged the trauma people went through during those times. She then joked:

"So it is important in times like these to have a distraction, and that's why I want to personally extend my gratitude to Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively."

Celebrity Sightings In Jersey City - January 12, 2024 - Source: Getty

The comedian continued to poke fun at the ongoing legal back-and-forth between the two, adding:

"Thank you for providing us with that distraction. I'm grateful. I think we're all grateful. And I think we're good. I think everybody in this room, no matter whose side you're on, we can all agree to accept that there's probably not going to be a sequel."

Handler then referenced their film's title:

"It ends with us, guys."

The 49-year-old emcee also mentioned several A-listers like Melania Trump, Ralph Fiennes, Ariana Grande, Nicole Kidman, and others during her monologue.

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Chelsea Handler’s remarks on Nicole Kidman, Ralph Fiennes, Melania Trump, and more in her Critics Choice Awards 2025 monologue

Chelsea Handler at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards – Show - Source: Getty

During her monologue, Chelsea Handler made several comments about prominent figures in Hollywood and politics. The catastrophic LA wildfires forced the ceremony to be rescheduled twice. Before her monologue, the comedian acknowledged the situation and asked the guests to donate to the cause via a QR code.

As the room of celebrities gave the city’s first responders a standing ovation, she said:

“I would like to address the devastation that unfolded here in Los Angeles in recent weeks...What we saw and the scope of loss has been almost impossible to imagine."

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater at The 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards - Source: Getty

After joking about Baldoni and Lively, she targeted several nominees in the audience. Chelsea Handler quipped that Ariana Grande "found love with a munchkin," referring to Ethan Slater. The comedian then commented on why Ralph Fiennes should never play Vladimir Putin before praising Nicole Kidman for her role in Babygirl.

Ralph Fiennes at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards - Press Room - Source: Getty

Chelsea Handler also took a dig at Melania Trump, suggesting that the film Anora dealt with the life of the First Lady of the United States. Moreover, she made a snide comment about Cheryl Hines, likening her to the losers of the award show. According to her, the losers “will just be in the background, questioning [their] life choices, like Cheryl Hines at a Senate confirmation hearing.”

Chelsea Handler was censored once during her gig for using the F-word while describing Colin Farrell's makeup for The Penguin, commenting:

“We now we know how long it takes to make Colin Farrell unf*ckable.”

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Films Conclave and Wicked led the nominations for the Critics Choice Awards this year with 11 nods each. They were followed by Emilia Perez and Dune: Part Two with 10 nominations.

Among television series, Shogun dominated the nominations with six, while Abbott Elementary, The Diplomat, Disclaimer, Hacks, The Penguin, and What We Do in the Shadows got four nods each.