Chelsea Handler wasted no time delivering cutting comedy at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, jabbing at some of the most contentious Hollywood issues. Hosting the event for the third time, the comedian focused on the protracted legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, which has dominated the news for months.
With her trademark humor, Handler’s speech captivated the audience, and as she squarely aimed the conflict over It Ends With Us, hilarity erupted.
“I want to acknowledge that we’ve been through a lot lately, not just here in Los Angeles, but our entire country,” she remarked, delivering her punchline. “So it is important in times like these to have a distraction, and that’s why I want to personally personally thank you, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.”
The comment brought chuckles, but Handler wasn’t done. She continued by saying it was likely safe to believe It Ends With Us wouldn’t receive a sequel regardless of whose side the crowd was on.
Allegations the actress made in December, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and planning a smear campaign against her, drive the legal dispute between Baldoni and Lively. Baldoni refuted the allegations and answered in January with a $400 million slander lawsuit directed against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Lively’s legal team wrote down the lawsuit as “meritless,” but the matter has only gotten more heated. On February 3, the first pre-trial hearing saw the judge advise both sides against media litigation. The trial date is March 2026, setting the scene for a well-publicized courtroom confrontation.
Handler’s roast highlighted how Hollywood’s elite still gets entwined in the legal drama, adding another level of public scrutiny to the already contentious issue.
Though Handler’s comments about Baldoni and Lively caught attention, she did not stop there. She also parodied Hollywood’s most recent biopics and the changes performers undergo to land jobs.
Her most stinging remark of the evening came from her citation of Colin Farrell’s tragic performance in The Penguins. “Now we know how long it takes to make Colin Farrell not f–kable,” she said, eliciting audience laughs.
Handler’s monologue created the mood for an evening full of joy and sarcasm. The emcee ensured that no subject was off-limits as the most famous Hollywood people assembled at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
Jaja has a degree in journalism and took classes in international law and business communication. Jaja’s career spans roles at prominent international media outlets, including Business Times and Brigada. As a news editor, she covered a wide range of beats, including business, economy, cryptocurrency, and personal finance. Additionally, she has successfully managed teams of writers producing content on gaming, technology, and entertainment.
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