Chevy Chase recently took part in a joint interview with New York Times with Marina Zenovich, director of the new CNN documentary “I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not,” and was asked about how the film portrayed Chase's tumultuous involvement in “.” Chase was a series regular on the NBC sitcom and left after the fourth season following a public falling out with creator Dan Harmon over creative differences and an incident in which he allegedly used the N-word on set.
“It wasn't a bad experience. I just didn't think the show was that good,” Chase told The Times about the series.
When asked how he felt about the end of his role, Chase replied, “I think it ended great.”
“It was just too much of a misunderstanding of what I said and what I didn’t say,” Chase then added of his departure. “I thought there was at least one person – and one more – who for some ungodly reason didn't understand me, didn't know who I was, or didn't realize for a second that I wasn't a racist. They were too young to know about my work. Instead, they had some kind of visceral reaction.”
As recounted in the documentary and in The Times: “During filming Season 4, Chase became frustrated with his character's growing bigotry, particularly a storyline in which the character did a bit of something with a doll in blackface. The documentary recounts allegations that Chase, in frustration, asked whether his character would be forced to use a racial slur next time, and reportedly uttered the slur in response. He abruptly quit the show's series.”
Community director Jay Chandrasekhar is interviewed in the documentary and says Chase had a “meltdown” on set after an incident was leaked to the press in which he allegedly used the N-word on set. The alleged incident occurred between Chase and co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, with Chandrasekhar explaining: “I know there was history between them. [Chevy and Yvette] around the race and she got up and ran out of there. Chevy storms off and the producer says, “We need Yvette in this scene, right?” I was like, “Yeah, she’s in the next scene.” And he says, “Well, she won't come out until Chevy apologizes to her.”
Chandrasekhar said Chevy eventually returned to the set, but stated that he “didn't say anything” that would upset Brown, adding: “[Chevy] says, “You know, me and Richard Pryor called Richard Pryor the N-word, and he called me Honky, and we loved each other.” And I was like, “I know, man, I love it.” I said, “You know, can we apologize a little?” He says: “For what?”
The incident was later reported by The Hollywood Reporter, which stated that Chase was “frustrated” with his character and used the N-word “when questioning dialogue.” The report highlights that Chase did not use racial slurs directly against his black co-stars Brown and Donald Glover, although both actors were reportedly on set at the time.
Chandrasekhar said that when production resumed after THR's story broke, Chase arrived on set and had a “total meltdown” when he “barged on the set and asked, 'Who fucked me?' … My career is ruined! I'm broke! Like, this is a complete collapse. “To hell with you all!” And I was like, “Okay, let's shoot the scene.” After that he never returned.”
Zenovich earlier said Diversity that she tried to get more cast and crew members from Chase's Community to participate in the documentary, but “every single person said no” because “there are things people don't want to talk about.”
How the 'Community' Incident Resurfaced Because 'I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not' by Yvette Nicole Brown took it to Instagram and appeared to address the issue by writing, “There are things I have never said publicly and may never say. Anyone who currently speaks FOR me or ABOUT ME with supposed authority speaks without EVER talking to me about the things they claim to know about. In fact, they don't know me at all.”
Donald Glover especially said New Yorker in 2018, Chase repeatedly made racist jokes on the set of Community. Meanwhile Chase told CBS Sunday morning in 2022, he “didn't give a damn” about headlines and former co-stars portraying him as problematic on set, adding at the time: “I don't give a damn. I am who I am. And I like who I am. I don't care. And it's a part of me that I don't care. And I've thought about it a lot. And I don't know what to tell you, man. I just don't care.”
Go to New York Times website read Chase's latest interview in its entirety.
