US comedian Chelsea Handler claims she brought LSD, edibles and mushrooms to New Zealand; pokes fun at Customs in podcast
“I have edibles, mushrooms, and a sheet of f****g acid on me and you’re declaring a chopped beef stick? I’m covered in orange juice, urine, and have so many drugs on me, and you’re sitting here talking about beef jerky”.
In New Zealand, people who fail to declare at-risk goods at the New Zealand border, including food items, face a $400 instant fine or prosecution.
For narcotics, depending on the quantity and type of the drug, people who are caught at the border with illicit substances can face a hefty jail term.
Handler then doubled down on her claims, labelling the drugs as “non-threatening” and criticising her cousin’s declaration and asking what risk the jerky stick would pose.
“Even if I didn’t have edibles, mushrooms and acid (that’s what I brought on that trip), even if I didn’t have that, I don’t have time for someone who’s going to declare a beef jerky stick. What are you going to do, infect a farm animal with that?”
The comedian, who is known for her no-holds-bared rants, goes on to tell Cooper about the alleged substances in detail.
“What does this sheet of acid look like?” Cooper asked.
“It’s beautiful, it’s got this big Buddha on it. It’s one sheet with 376 hits on it,” Handler claimed. “It lasts me throughout the year, and I drug people wherever I go”.
The story ended with Handler claiming she used the LSD during a whale-watching trip in Australia. “I want to communicate with the animals,” she said.
Near the end of the segment, Handler also described New Zealand as “beautiful”.
During her time here she was spotted sharing some snaps to Instagram of herself exploring some local wineries during her time here, writing, “Now that I’m in New Zealand, I drink wine because I go to wineries”.
The comedian hasn’t been shy about her drug use in the past, revealing in 2016 to Buzzfeed that she had “done pretty much every drug – besides, like, heroin and crystal meth”.
She has also copped backlash in the past for her controversial comments, but revealed to Newstalk ZB in 2024 that it didn’t bother her.
“Also, if everyone does like you – what does that say about you? It says that you have no opinions, that you don’t stand for anything, because it’s impossible to be liked by everybody. I started my career understanding that a lot of people would not like me, so anyone who likes me is a bonus,” she said.
Her new Netflix comedy special, Chelsea Handler: The Feeling, is set to air in the US next month.
Handler has been approached for comment. Customs NZ replied to the Herald’s email saying it would look into providing a response to our questions.