Chelsea Handler on her new Las Vegas residency, today's political moment and her dog Doug

In a new series USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it's at home, on the set or on the road.

Chelsea Handler is taking her show on the road. Well, sort of.

The comedian, talk-show host and author brings her "Little Big Bitch" stand-up show to Las Vegas Sunday, kicking off her first-ever residency at the Cosmopolitan's 3,200-seat Chelsea theater. "Chelsea at the Chelsea" won't be an endless series of dates; instead, it's a monthly gig (give or take) into 2025, including November 2 and 30, January 18, March 21 and April 18.

How'd she come up with that schedule? "I think they were just trying to link it to my menstrual cycle," says the always irreverent Handler, 49. "That's Vegas for you."

Handler allows that her shows will likely evolve subject to events in her life over the course of the residency, which includes a fall taping for a Netflix special due next year. But early attendees will certainly hear this implausible but true trio of tales.

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"There's a story about me playing pickleball on three edibles at the Bush compound in Kennebunkport (Maine), there's a story about my failed romance with former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, before he was canceled, and there's a story about Bill Cosby," who in 2018 was found guilty of drugging and assaulting women. (The conviction was later overturned.)

"This was many years ago in his hotel room, but I had two men with me so my experience didn't end the way it could have," says Handler. "There's not many people with such crazy stories, but I feel if you're sincere you can't go wrong. The people who are my fans rely on me for the truth."

Here's some more truth from Handler, ranging from her favorite musicians to what she did recently on vacation with her latest beau ― her dog, Doug.

You've got a great smile, Chelsea Handler. What's your favorite toothpaste?

"Oh gosh, whatever's in my bag," says Handler, momentarily tongue-tied. "Probably Crest, that's a familiar label to me."

Are you a party-all-night gal or a homebody at heart?

"I'm more of a homebody. OK, well, when I'm in Vegas, sure, I'll be out with my friends gambling, partying, you know," she says. "But unless I'm doing that or onstage, it's low key for me. I'm in bed by 10."

What was Chelsea Handler's most recent vacation with her best friend?

"I just got a new dog, and we went wine tasting up in Napa," says Handler, not pausing for the inevitable interviewer gasp. "He's a Chow Chow named Doug, and I've had Chows (before) and they're not very social, they don't play fetch. But he has all of (those traits) in one dog. And it's impossible not to notice his good looks. I don't want to objectify him, but he is so handsome."

Handler says she and Doug not only hit some wineries ("I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," she cracks), but "we went out for oysters and went horseback riding."

Doug went horseback riding? "You can decide what you want to believe," she deadpans. "I mean, after enough wine and oysters, anything can happen."

Who are some of Chelsea Handler's favorite musicians?

"I listen to a playlist on Spotify called Golden Hour, it's a mixture of cool soul, funky jazz and, you know, happy hour songs," she says. "But I also listen to Nathaniel Rateliff, who I just saw perform, and I enjoy Chappell Roan's songs, and Sabrina Carpenter. And Taylor Swift, of course."

What up and coming comedians is Chelsea Handler most excited about?

"I love getting to know young women comedians and helping them out when I can, many end up touring with me," she says. "There's a never-ending supply of great talent, and it's our responsibility to shine the light on newcomers."

Her current favorites include Yamaneika Saunders and Rosebud Baker, granddaughter of James Baker III, President George H.W. Bush's Secretary of State.

How is Chelsea Handler feeling about national politics?

"I heard a great quote recently: 'Decades can go by without any progress happening, and then within weeks it can feel like decades of progress,'" she says. Of August's Democratic National Convention, she says, "There feels like there's real momentum, good energy."

That said, Handler ia keen to keep her political views offstage, limiting them to her social media posts accounts. "I won't touch politics in my shows," she says. "My show is for people to enjoy themselves. They're coming to see my stand-up act to take a load off."

What is something we all might not know about Chelsea Handler?

"Well, maybe that I'm really good at gambling and I intend to make the Cosmopolitan the luckiest casino on the Strip, at least when I'm there," Handler jokes. "I went there to start my marketing campaign (for the residency), and my friends and I all won on blackjack."

So what's her secret? "You win, and then you get the hell out of there."