Jo Koy and Chelsea Handler are taking different paths.
The 47-year-old former Chelsea host announced her and Koy’s separation on Instagram on Monday.
It is with a heavy heart to say that we have jointly decided it is best for us to take a break from our relationship at this time, Handler wrote in the title of a video the two planned to broadcast on their one-year anniversary.
Those close to the couple do hope that this is just a short-term issue, a source tells PEOPLE. “Their friends are still holding out hope for them. But if anything, it’s obvious that their friendship has improved both of them, “says the source.
Also: The ‘billion Dollar Blowup’: Inside Ivana and Donald Trump’s Explosive and Expensive 1990s Divorce
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Handler wrote to her followers: “I wanted to tell you how much it meant to both of us that so many of you cared about our relationship. how much meaning it still has. And how strongly I now think that there is love for each of us.”
She gave Koy a standing ovation and praised him, saying, “He blew my heart up with love, and as a result of him, my life experience has altered forever.”
Extra Handler: “One of the greatest privileges of my life has been being adored and loved by @jokoy. He restored my trust in people, in love, and in being completely myself, and I’ve never felt more hopeful about the future “future.”
“You blasted my creativity open, my love 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 earth,” Handler said to Koy in an open letter.
“This is not the conclusion. It gives me comfort to know that I am still loved and that I still adore this man in the same manner that the sun and moon do. It’s a new beginning. “So, please continue to root for both of us, since you never know what life will bring, and let’s first start by all coming to the theatre on August 5 to buy tickets to Jo’s new film EASTER SUNDAY and Filipino PRIDE!,” Handler concluded in the letter. Move along!”
Nearly 20 years ago, a mutual friend introduced Handler and Koy, both 51, to one another. Then, Koy continued to make frequent appearances on Chelsea Lately, Handler’s previous E! program that lasted from 2007 until 2014. Fans of Handler were ecstatic about the possibility of her return to late-night television after she recently appeared as a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
When Handler and Koy were pictured cuddling up at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in September, dating rumors first began to circulate. Later, she made a post expressing her love for Koy while hiding his identity.
She wrote in the description of an Instagram image with a picture of herself looking satisfied, “Just sitting here in Mallorca thinking about how fortunate I am to have so many people who I love in my life, to live the life I do, and to be going on tour doing what I love.”
The comedian went on to say, “And that I’ve found the best kind of guy I could ever fall in love with. Everyone can still have hope! that sort of thing.”
Days later, Handler uploaded two photos on Instagram that included one of the couple kissing, making their relationship official.
“He and I occasionally go on tours together, she said in the caption of her Instagram image. “#VaccinatedAndHorny #FunnyIsFunny,” she added. All arriving in a city close to you!”
Koy, a comedian as well, joined Handler on her Dear Chelsea podcast in October to talk openly about their relationship. Even though they both felt their chemistry was “great” right away, Handler didn’t immediately picture Koy as a potential romantic partner due to his “brother aura.”
She pointed to Koy and said, “You have a lot of the attributes that my brother had,” referring to her older brother Chet, who passed away in 1984. “I consequently feel utterly protected in many aspects. And I think, “Oh, this is family,” as though I’ve always thought of you as family. Just before, I didn’t want to f—- you.”
Handler claimed that she “fallen in love at the age of 46” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in October. She now has “hope for every person in this world” as a result.
She recalled, “One day I just glanced at [Jo] and I thought, ‘Oh that’s my boy!'” “He’s really my best friend, and we also get to have sex occasionally. … Good times!”