Chelsea Handler's awkward moment with Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn: 'How did you two meet?'

AUSTIN, Texas – There’s a reason why she’s iconic.

Chelsea Handler commanded the room while accepting an award for Comedy Icon at Variety’s Power of Comedy Friday, held during Austin’s SXSW festival.

Former White House Press Secretary turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki introduced Handler, 48. The two were part of a featured session during the annual festival earlier in the day.

Psaki said she admired Handler for using “her voice for good” and speaking up for "people who don't have a voice, who aren't heard on issues like gun violence. We are here in Texas, everybody, a wonderful state, but there could be some more work on gun violence." Psaki also applauded Handler for her advocacy of a woman's right to choose.

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On stage, Handler called out to journalist Katie Couric, whose enthusiastic presence in the audience moved Handler to tell a story about another memorable event they attended, a dinner with filmmaker Woody Allen, his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, and ousted morning host Charlie Rose in New York.

"So, it was a hot, hot mess of an evening," Handler said before remembering another embattled attendee, Prince Andrew. "Basically, everyone who was at that dinner is in jail," Handler joked.

Actress Mia Farrow and ex-husband André Previn adopted Soon-Yi Previn prior to Allen's 12-year relationship with Farrow. Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, who is 35 years his junior, wed in 1997. Allen has also been accused of sexually abusing his daughter Dylan Farrow, who he adopted with Mia Farrow. Allen has never been charged with any crimes and has repeatedly denied this accusation.

Handler said when she saw Allen and Previn, she thought about removing herself from the dinner, as staying would go "against everything I stand for as a woman. I can't just be complicit and eat with him and be nice to him.."

Handler said she and Allen chatted about comedy and movies.

"I waited because I didn't want to make a scene at this beautiful dinner that Katie brought me to," said Handler. "Right as dessert came, Woody Allen went and put a piece of blackberry cobbler into his mouth, and I knew that was my moment. And I leaned in and said to him and Soon-Yi, 'How did you two meet?'"

The place erupted with laughter and applause at Handler’s revelation.

"And Katie was like, 'OK, Chelsea, it's time to go,'" Handler recalled.

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She also shared with the audience how she got her start in comedy, after speaking about her experience getting a DUI at 21 at "DUI school, where they teach you how to get out of your next DUI."

While the idea of sharing her story made Handler sick to her stomach, she said once she got started she couldn’t get off the stage.

"And then the DUI counselor came up and he goes, 'Hey, this isn't a stand-up comedy club. Wrap it up!'" Handler remembered. "And when I got off stage, everyone came up to me, and said – well, not everybody, but enough people came up to me and said you should do stand-up comedy.

"And I was 21 years old," she continued. "I was like, stand up. … This is the scariest thing off my life, doing this speech that I had done. And I think it's a great lesson in life that one of the worst decisions in my life led to one of the best decisions in my life."

Handler concluded with: "And I would like to say I haven't gotten a DUI since then. Because now I have a driver."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chelsea Handler gets comedy honor at Austin's SXSW, Woody Allen joke