Chelsea Handler, Jacob Soboroff coming to UF

This article has been updated to reflect that Jacob Soboroff declined payment.

Comedian Chelsea Handler will speak at UF about politics and modern culture next week.

Accent Speakers Bureau and UF’s Jewish Student Union are bringing Handler to campus April 13 for a free talk, titled “Chelsea Does Politica,” at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff will moderate the talk. Handler and Soboroff were offered a combined $125,500, with $105,500 coming from Accent and the remaining $20,000 coming from JSU, said Mike Greenberg, Accent’s chairman. Soboroff declined the money, per news standards.

Greenberg said the night will be interactive in multiple ways, but he can’t specify how yet.

Greenberg said getting Handler to speak has always been a “pipe dream” of Accent’s, but scheduling conflicts and the cost of bringing her have prevented the student-run organization from having her speak until now.

“Apparently in the Spring she was actively seeking out college speaking tours for a fee that we could afford given our budget and what we had left, and so we pounced on it,” he said.

Greenberg said he thinks bringing Handler will appeal to female students, who Handler is popular with.

After researching Handler and discovering her Jewish background, Greenberg reached out to JSU.

“There’s a lot there in relation to her Judaism and her life,” Greenberg said.

Students can pick up two tickets with a Gator 1 Card on Wednesday at the Phillips Center Box Office starting at noon. Greenberg said he expects a large turnout.

Daniel Tarkington, a 21-year-old UF biology junior, said he plans to attend the event and likes that Handler is candid.

“She’s not afraid to speak her mind, especially when it comes to politics,” he said. “She really tries to make a difference.”

Chelsea Handler, left, and Jacob Soboroff, right