Critics Choice Awards 2023: Chelsea Handler takes aim at Prince Harry amid talks of royal reconciliation

The Critics Choice Awards 2023 took place over the weekend, with the big winners of the event including Brendan Fraser earning his first award for his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and Everything Everywhere All At Once earning several plaudits. However, with award ceremonies comes the opening monologue, roasting some of Tinseltown’s more topical aspects.

Enter professional muck-raker Chelsea Handler, the host of the 2023 Critics Choice Awards, who during her monologue managed to take aim at social issues, herself and, of course, a chance for a new raft of Prince Harry jokes almost a week since the release of his polarising autobiography, Spare.

“Dahmer became the third highest viewed show on Netflix with a combined watch time of over one billion hours,” she informed the crowd at Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, before quipping, “which apparently is the same amount of time we’re going to have to listen to Prince Harry talk about his frostbitten penis.”

The roast comes after reports have suggested talks are set to take place for a royal reconciliation between Prince Harry and the Royal Family. The talks are aimed to heal the wounds the autobiography has caused, specifically between Harry and William, who received some of the more damning passages in the book.

Should the talks take place, they hope to be arbitrated by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, who is a close friend of the family. Those talks look to take place before the coronation of King Charles III in May, with one of the sticking points being Harry awaiting acknowledgement from William regarding some of his behaviour detailed in the book. The talks also look to include an amicable resolution between Harry’s wife Meghan and Kate, Princess of Wales.

Shots fired toward James Corden, Ellen DeGeneres and pro-life activists

Chelsea Handler didn’t stop at Prince Harry in her dressing down of several personalities during her monologue. The former Chelsea Lately host even took a jab at herself, letting the audience know that, “I know I have a reputation that precedes me, but you should all know I’ve been to two years of therapy so everyone is safe now.”

Handler made a heartfelt comment about how everyone had finally managed to gather together for the 2023 awards ceremony, eliciting giggles from the audience acknowledging “everything that we have all been through together over the last few years: between Covid, monkeypox, the Don’t Worry Darling press tour...”

She also highlighted the controversy between UK talk show host James Corden and Balthazar restaurant, discussing how the TV series The Bear “showed us how gruelling and miserable working in the restaurant industry can be, and they didn’t even have to wait on James Corden.”

Ellen DeGeneres also couldn’t avoid the roasting Handler was dishing out during her monologue, drawing parallels between The Ellen Show and the movie Tar, featuring award winner Cate Blanchett. “[In] the movie Tar, Cate portrayed an iconic lesbian whose career is upended by her toxic behaviour… and she didn’t have to host her own daytime talk show.”

Perhaps her most stinging comment though was in regards to pro-life activists and the current climate in the United States where abortion rights are trying to be eroded by members of the Republican party. “I’m just happy to be here tonight to support the critic’s right to choose - at least someone still has the choice.”