Chelsea Handleris speaking out.
OnJimmy Kimmel LiveMonday night, the 47-year-old comedian discussed her experience with abortion following the Supreme Court’s recent decision tooverturnRoe v. Wade. Handler opened up on her first night of filling in forJimmy Kimmelon his late-night show, which will continue through the week.
During heropening remarks, Handler said she had three abortions while in high school. The following night, the starsharedhow her New Jersey alma mater allegedly feels about her talking about the topic.
“I recently found out that my high school in New Jersey, Livingston High School, is refusing to induct me into their alumni hall of fame,” she began, noting that fellow alumsJason AlexanderandChris Christiehad both been inducted.
“Apparently, the school is upset about how much I talk about my abortions, so I’ve decided to start a grassroots campaign,” she continued. “You should donate to Planned Parenthood, and then march, and then vote, but after you’re done with that, go online and tweet a message to the school district for my alma mater @LivSchools. Let them know how you feel about this gross injustice and use the hashtag #Hall4Handler.”
“Have fun with it. Make me proud,” Handler concluded. “Livingston High, the hall is in your court.”
ABC/Eric McCandless
Livingston Public Schools refuted Handler’s claim in a statement made to PEOPLE.
“Ms. Handler’s statements regarding Livingston Public Schools refusing to induct her into Livingston High School’s Hall of Fame are false,” the statement read.
The statement continued, “We are saddened that Ms. Handler would use her platform to amplify a political message at the expense of our school community.”
The statement said that the LEF considered holding a solo induction but decided against it in order to “adhere to an official nomination process for the Hall of Fame.”
In conclusion, the statement read, “The district has reached back out to Ms. Handler’s representatives to find out if they can shed some light on the basis for Ms. Handler’s false statements. They have not yet responded to our emails.”
Chelsea Handler attends People’s Choice Awards.Alberto Rodriguez/E! Entertainment/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Monday night was not the first time the formerChelsea Latelyhost has spoken about the subject. In a 2016 essay forPlayboy, Handler shared that she that she had two abortions when she was 16.
“When I got pregnant at the age of 16, getting an abortion wasn’t the first idea that popped into my unripened brain,” she wrote. Handler said that after her parents took her to Planned Parenthood for the procedure, she felt “relieved.”
“I felt parented, ironically, while I was getting an abortion. And when it was over, I was relieved in every possible way,” she wrote.
Later that year, she said, she had another abortion after becoming pregnant with the same partner.
“We have 7.3 billion people on this planet,” Handler wrote elsewhere in the essay. “Anybody who carefully decides not to become a parent—let alone abadparent, which is what I would have become—should be applauded for making a smart and sustainable decision.”
source: people.com
