As the saying goes, celebrities prerecord one-year anniversary tribute videos and God laughs.
So it goes for Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy, who announced on Tuesday that they are calling it quits after charming us all with their unexpected love story born out of a decadeslong friendship.
“It is with a heavy heart to announce that we have decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now,” Handler wrote alongside a video of the two comedians that they planned to share on their upcoming anniversary.
“I know many of you were invested in our love, and I wanted to express to you how much that meant to both of us,” she continued. “How much it still means. And how much I now believe in love for each one of us.”
The former talk show host went on to praise Koy for all the ways she’s been “changed forever” by his love, calling him “one of the greatest gifts of my life.”
“He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I’ve never been more optimistic for the future,” Handler continued. “You blew my creativity open, my lust for working hard again, being on the road again, and you reminded me who I was and always have been, and my feet have never been more firmly planted in the ground.”
Handler assured her followers that while their romantic relationship might be coming to a close, this new stage in their lives is only “another beginning.”
“It’s a comfort to know that I am still loved and love this man the way the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sun. YOUR PERSON IS COMING,” she concluded. “So, please continue to root for both of us, because you never know what life will bring.”
While Handler has seemingly closed the door on the romance, an unnamed source told People that the former couple’s friends “hope this is a temporary situation” and that the two can “still work it out.”
Koy echoed Handler’s sentiments in his own post, insisting that the pair will “always remain great friends and will always have love for one another.”
“I’m her biggest fan and I can’t wait for you all to see what she has in store for the future,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself and Handler. “Keep killing it Chelsea! Mahal kita!”
After months of speculation, Handler first confirmed that her friendship with Koy had blossomed into a relationship back in September before making things Instagram official. Months later, the two made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2021 People’s Choice Awards.
Before embarking on a romance, Koy and Handler had been in each other’s orbit for nearly 20 years after being introduced by comedian Jon Lovitz and then working frequently together on Handler’s mid-aughts late-night E! talk show, “Chelsea Lately.”
Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo reconnected when Koy asked Handler to write a blurb for his book, which led to texting conversations and in-person hangouts.
“If I fell in love at the age of 46, I have hope for every person in this world,” Handler said about Koy during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” last year. “One day, I just looked at him and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s my guy!’ So he’s like my best buddy and then I also, you know, get to have sex with him ... Fun time!”
She added: “So anyone, if you have a friend in your life that you think you’re not into or not attracted to, just remember my story and to be open-minded.”