What’s going on with Chelsea Handler and Ralph Fiennes?
The comedian, 50, and the actor, 62, sparked romance rumors after they were spotted leaving Vanity Fair’s Oscar party arm-in-arm on Sunday, March 2. In photos published by People on Monday, March 3, Handler wore a strapless silver gown and her blond hair long and wavy. Fiennes sported a black tuxedo with the jacket buttoned.
Us Weekly has reached out to reps for Handler and Fiennes for comment.
Earlier Sunday, Fiennes attended the Academy Awards, where he was among the Best Actor nominees for his role in the film Conclave. He lost the trophy to The Brutalist star Adrien Brody.
Handler teased Fiennes while she hosted the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles last month. She stood next to him in the audience for a staged bit, joking that he “played a ruthless Nazi, an evil lord and a celibate cardinal, and somehow you’ve made me want to have sex with you in all roles. … I’m begging you never play Vladimir Putin. I can’t do that again.”
Handler had also included Fiennes in another bit where she referenced Nicole Kidman’s notorious milk-drinking scene in Babygirl. That film “inspired me to hire a new sexy intern,” Handler quipped, drinking a glass of milk. “Good girl. Good girl. Good girl,” Fiennes, playing along, said encouragingly.
The Harry Potter star was previously married to actress Alex Kingston from 1993 to 1997, and later moved on with actress Francesca Annis. Handler previously dated fellow comedian Jo Koy and now has a new man in her life.
“I’m dating. Dating is wonderful,” she told Us Weekly exclusively last month, without naming her beau. “Now, I understand what kind of date I am. I want lovers all around the world. I want lovers all around the globe.”
Handler told Us that she’s “very honest and upfront with anyone who I’m dating, that you may not be the only one. And if you need to know, I’ll let you know, but I’m just letting you know. Hopefully you don’t need to ask any further questions.”
Handler said she doesn’t “thrive with dependency,” especially in a romantic relationship.
“I think an attractive quality in a man — the most attractive quality — which is hard to come by, is to find small egos on men. Men who have no egos,” Handler explained to Us. “Right now, I’m dating someone who has no ego. He’s very good at a lot of things, but he’ll never ever show you. He doesn’t need that kind of validation. He doesn’t need to be good at something. He doesn’t need to show off.”
She also described a nice moment they shared recently.
“The other day, he goes, ‘God, you know how lucky I am to be waking up next to you. Do you know how many men would die to wake up next to you?’ I wanted to go, ‘Do you know how many men would never in a million years even think about that?’ Nevermind, say it,” Handler said. “What a sweet thing to even think. Then a sweeter thing to even say, because just by virtue of saying that to someone means that you don’t have a big ego.”
