US comedian Chelsea Handler claims she brought LSD, edibles and mushrooms to New Zealand; pokes fun at Customs in podcast

Controversial US comedian Chelsea Handler claimed she "brought" drugs on her trip to Australia and New Zealand last year. Photo / YouTube, @Call Her Daddy

US comedian Chelsea Handler has claimed during a podcast that she “brought” a collection of illicit drugs with her during her recent tour of Australia and New Zealand, while also taking a dig at our strict biosecurity laws.

Appearing on Alex Cooper’s successful Call Her Daddy podcast to promote her latest book I’ll Have What She’s Having, Handler, 49, told Cooper about the alleged experiences she had when travelling Downunder.

Handler was last in Australasia in July last year for her Little Big B**** tour.

Known for her over-the-top humour and frank discussions, she told Cooper that after a disastrous flight (which included her spilling orange juice and accidentally wetting herself), she and her cousin Molly had to make a declaration to New Zealand biosecurity.

“So, we land, we get to New Zealand, and you know they are very strict in New Zealand and Australia about Customs. My cousin goes to check off meats, [she says] I have a beef jerky in my backpack,“ Handler said, going on to reveal the apparent contents of her own bag.

“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”.

Handler was here in July last year for two shows.

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.

Handler spent some time sampling some New Zealand wines ahead of her comedy shows in Auckland and Wellington last year. Photos / @chelseahandler

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 investigations manager Dominic Adams said the agency could not disclose details about individual travellers.

“Customs risks assesses every single passenger before they arrive into New Zealand. We consider individual risk factors which, when combined with our targeting system, can identify people of interest,” he said

“Customs regularly updates our risk factors based on the changing threat environment, our continual analysis of risks, and intelligence received.

He also noted that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is the government department in charge of overseeing New Zealand’s biosecurity.