BothChelsea Handlerand Shane Gillistook the stage to roast Kevin Hartas the big finale of the 2026 Netflix Is A Joke fest on May 10, but it was their jabs toward each other that really got viewers talking.
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First, Gillis, who hosted the evening, took a swing at the Jewish comedian while introducing her, saying, “Chelsea is a Zionist. Not saying that’s a good or bad thing. Speaking of dead kids, she’s a big fan of abortions.”
He followed up with another shocking barb, adding, “speaking of tossing tiny shrimp into a child’s mouth, Chelsea Handler went to dinner at Jeffrey Epstein‘s house in 2010… Look it up, there’s articles. It wasn’t like a big party there was like seven people there… it was likePrince Andrewand Woody Allen were there.”
When it was her turn to step up to the podium, Handler shot back at Gillis before roasting the man of the hour.
“Shane, just so you know, Judaism and Zionism are two different things,” she said, “Just like how Chinatown and Koreatown are two different things, but your favorite slur works in both places.”
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The comment was a reference to a clip from Gillis’ podcast where he used anti-Asian slurs that went viral in 2019, leading to his firing from Saturday Night Live less than a week after he was announced to join the cast.
As for the Epstein accusations, Handler herself shared the story of having dinner at the home of the convicted felon in 2025. “I did go to dinner at Jeffrey Epstein’s house, she told Rob Lowe on his podcast. “I didn’t know who Jeffrey Epstein was… I went with Katie Couric. Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn were there. Charlie Rose was there. Oh yeah Prince Andrew was there with — no, with no one. He was there with Jeffrey Epstein.”
In the story, Handler claimed she called out Allen for his own sex abuse allegations.
While everyone involved in a roast is expected to make and take jokes throughout the evening, many fans sensed particular tension between Handler and Gillis. “Chelsea Handler mad as hell about that Zionist comment lmfoaoo,” said one viewer on X, while another said, “There was some serious animosity between Chelsea Handler and the entire roast cast.”
Other roasters for the evening included Usher, Tom Brady, Lizzo, Pete Davidson, Draymond Green, Tony Hinchcliffe, Regina Hall, and Roastmaster General Jeff Ross.
Check out Shane Gillis’ comments about Chelsea Handler and her heated clapback:
Part two: In response to Shane Gillis going after her for Zionism, Chelsea Handler coopts a line from Jewish anti Zionists, even though she had doubled down on far right political Zionism with people like Noa Tishby. pic.twitter.com/1jl9YwqLU6
— Rafael Shimunov 🍉 🕎 (@rafaelshimunov) May 11, 2026