Chelsea Handler Honors Rob Reiner, Slams David Zaslav and Teases ‘Heated Rivalry’ in Critics Choice Opener

Chelsea Handler Returns to Critics Choice Stage With Roast-Filled Monologue

For her fourth turn as host of the Critics Choice Awards, comedian Chelsea Handler took over Barker Hangar and wasted no time mixing heartfelt tribute with sharp-edged jokes. Over the course of her opening monologue, she honored the late Rob Reiner, skewered Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Leonardo DiCaprio, and even gave a loud shoutout to Canadian breakout series “Heated Rivalry.”

Jabs at David Zaslav and Variety

Handler kicked off one of the night’s spiciest bits while talking about the hit film “Sinners,” a story about brothers who build a thriving entertainment venue before vampires show up and destroy everything.

“Fun fact,” she joked, “the original name of the lead vampire was David Zaslav.” As the cameras cut to Michael B. Jordan, the star could be seen shaking his head with an amused but pained smile.

She then pointed to the movie’s nearly $368 million global box office, taking aim at a Variety piece that many felt downplayed its success. “White Hollywood was so stunned by those numbers,” she said, “that Variety ran the headline: ‘Do box office numbers really matter?’”

In another industry dig, Handler broadened her focus to studio executives in general. “Seth Rogen is here tonight,” she said. “Years of playing stoners and slackers who do nothing all day prepared him perfectly for his new role: studio head.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Bezos and a Yacht

Handler also turned her attention to One Battle After Another star Leonardo DiCaprio, who skipped the Palm Springs Film Festival the night before because travel restrictions kept him from attending in person to accept a Desert Palm Achievement Award.

Instead, DiCaprio was reportedly vacationing on a yacht near St. Barts. “It was just like the Titanic,” Handler deadpanned, “only worse, because Jeff Bezos was there.”

‘Heated Rivalry’ Gets a Hilarious Shoutout

Pivoting to television, Handler praised the year’s slate of original series before saluting one of the buzziest shows in TV right now.

“You all made incredible original shows that everyone was obsessed with,” she said, “until that gay hockey series from Canada showed up.”

She then called out Crave’s “Heated Rivalry” by name, adding that it has become a hit across the board: “Gay men love it, women love it, and straight guys who swear they’re not gay but work out at Equinox love it.”

Landman, Taylor Sheridan and an R-Rated Gag

Handler kept the TV jokes rolling with a riff on the cast of “Landman.”

“They’re here tonight,” she said. “Spoiler alert: in a recent episode, Billy Bob Thornton goes full frontal.” She added that creator Taylor Sheridan joked it was nice “to have a dick on set that wasn’t Kevin Costner.”

A Warm, Emotional Tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner

After calling Jay Kelly’s Adam Sandler “the nicest guy in Hollywood,” Handler shifted gears to remember Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in mid-December after allegedly being stabbed by their son Nick Reiner.

“Actually, you’re the second nicest guy in Hollywood,” she told Sandler, “because everyone here knows the nicest guy was Rob Reiner.”

She said that anyone who spent time with Reiner knew that meeting him felt like reconnecting with an old friend. He was fully present, curious and funny, she recalled, whether the conversation was about politics, filmmaking or beauty trends.

Handler shared a text exchange from a recent dinner: after she thanked him for the evening, Reiner replied, “We had so much fun with you last night. Thanks for explaining so much about plastic surgery. It was very edifying.”

She closed her opener by praising Rob and Michele Reiner’s decades of activism.

“Rob and Michele devoted themselves to so many important causes,” Handler said. “All of it came from one simple idea: decency, and the belief that we should look out for each other. I think we can all agree the world needs a lot more of that right now. So let’s use tonight to remember that decency, and everything Rob and Michele stood for and fought so hard to protect.”