Chelsea Handler, host of the late-night talk show “Chelsea Lately,” will bring her stand-up comedy routine to Columbus on Friday.

She will perform two shows at Veterans Memorial as part of her nationwide “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Tour.”

The “hourlong set was silly, raw, offensive and at the end of the day, often funny,” said St. Louis Post-Dispatch critic Kevin Johnson, who saw Handler perform in St. Louis on Saturday.

Her talk show, “Chelsea Lately,” which airs on E!, has gained popularity for her no-holds-barred style of roasting celebrities and popular culture.

Handler takes aim at Russians, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Angelina Jolie, among other topics in her routine, Johnson said.

Handler moved to Los Angeles from New Jersey to pursue an acting career but found her calling in stand-up comedy after a class of DUI offenders found her story of drunken driving funny.

In September she hosted the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, making her the second woman in the history of the show to do so (behind Roseanne Barr, who hosted in 1994).

She has written three books that have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, two of which have reached No. 1.

Her first best-selling novel, “My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands” chronicles a variety of sexual encounters throughout her life.  

“Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” was a 2008 best-selling collection of essays about her life. In March, her third book, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,” was released, which prompted the ongoing tour to promote the book.

She squeaked in at 98 on the Forbes “Celebrity 100” list, which takes into account income, Google hits and magazine covers. Oprah Winfrey was No. 1 on the list this year for the fourth time in six years.

Handler also appeared on one of two covers of the December 2009 edition of Playboy Magazine. Inside the magazine, she posed for a non-nude pictorial.

Fans can get tickets to see Handler perform on Friday through chelseahandlertour.com.