Who Said the Friend Zone Couldn’t Lead to Something More?
These days, a whole lot of men are complaining about being “friendzoned,” but the real ones see it for what it is: an opportunity to shine. Just ask Jo Koy, a successful standup comedian and frequent panelist on Chelsea Handler’s late-night show Chelsea Lately. He managed to turn a friendship and professional relationship into something more.
How do we know this? Because Chelsea Handler invited him onto the second season of her “Dear Chelsea” podcast to talk about how their relationship evolved. It started innocently enough: they reconnected when Jo reached out to Chelsea, requesting she blurb his recent book “Mixed Plate.” They hadn’t spoken in a while, but it didn’t take long for them to realize they had chemistry together.
“The minute we were both back in LA, we were like, ‘Let’s go to dinner,'” Koy said on the podcast, and since that fateful dinner, the pair have been inseparable.
Are you listening, fellas? It pays to be patient. Chelsea and Jo had known each other for a long time – she had even described him as “family”! – but it took her some time to realize his qualities not only as a man but as a lover.
Here’s how Chelsea makes sense of what took her so long to realize what was right in front of her: “I was just not in touch with myself to understand. I knew I liked talking with you and having you in my life because you’re positive and upbeat. It’s infectious and I loved all of that. But I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, my God!’ This desire to have something happen, to have something happen, not at all.”
How did Jo Koy escape the friend zone? Truthfully, he didn’t have to do anything other than be his authentic, caring self, and wait for Chelsea Handler to realize what she was missing out on. Nowadays, the pair can be spotted walking hand-in-hand throughout New York, enjoying each other’s company.
