Chevy Chase’s controversies — and ‘Community’ downfall
Let’s cut to the chase, this actor is not always about keeping it politically correct.
Chevy Chase cemented himself as a pioneer of the TV comedy world — starring in “Saturday Night Live,” “Community” and the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” film franchise.
However, the 79-year-old comedian has made a reputation for himself for being quite difficult in Hollywood — with several controversies and feuds erupting throughout his career.
“Saturday Night Live”
Chase made headlines when he fought with fellow “SNL” member Bill Murray while filming an episode in 1978 and the two came to blows in co-star John Belushi’s dressing room.
The issue occurred when the “Lost in Translation” star, 73, reportedly made a rude comment about Chase’s tumultuous marriage to Jacqueline Carlin.
Chase then bashed Murray’s physical appearance and they got into a brawl.
“Billy Murray and I came to fisticuffs, but we never really ended up hitting each other,” Chase said when asked about Murray in a 2010 interview with Esquire. “We tried, but Belushi got in the middle and we both ended up hitting John. And if anybody deserved to be slapped in the forehead it was John, for instigating it all.”
On another occasion, while making a guest appearance on the show in 1985, Chase got on Robert Downey Jr.’s nerves by taking a swipe at his late father.
The Emmy winner allegedly told the “Iron Man” star: “Didn’t your father used to be a successful director? Whatever happened to him? Boy, he sure died, you know, he sure went to hell.”
Years later in 2018, he made a highly publicized dig at the sketch comedy series in an interview with the Washington Post.
“I had to watch a little of it, and I just couldn’t f–king believe it,” Chase said regarding the updated version of the show. “That means a whole generation of s–theads laughs at the worst f–king humor in the world. You know what I mean? How could you dare give that generation worse s–t than they already have in their lives? It just drives me nuts.”
Pete Davidson, who was a cast member on “SNL” at the time, didn’t mince his words in response while appearing on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show.
“He’s a f–king douchebag. F–k Chevy Chase. I hate that dude,” Davidson told Stern in response to the interview. “He’s just a genuinely bad, racist person, and I don’t like him.” Davidson also defended “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels, saying Chase’s words were “disrespectful to a guy who gave you a career” and that “no matter how big you get, you can’t forget what that guy did for you.”
“Community”
In 2009, Chase landed the starring role on NBC’s sitcom, “Community,” portraying millionaire Pierce Hawthorne for five seasons.
While the show was a step in the right direction for his career, his on-set behavior created drama with castmates.
One major incident from the show pertained to allegations of racist actions toward co-stars.
Chase was fired from the show in 2013 after allegedly using a racist slur toward Donald Glover during filming and following a heated confrontation with its creator, Dan Harmon.
Glover, 40, claimed that Chase used the N-word while on a rant about his issues with his character.
He reportedly used the phrase when he was confused about the dialogue in a scene with the “This Is America” singer and star Yvette Nicole Brown.
In 2018, the “Atlanta” actor and Harmon opened up to the New Yorker about Chase’s inappropriate conduct.
“Chevy was the first to realize how immensely gifted Donald was, and the way he expressed his jealousy was to try to throw Donald off,” Harmon said at the time. “I remember apologizing to Donald after a particularly rough night of Chevy’s non-PC verbiage, and Donald said, ‘I don’t even worry about it.’”
Glover chimed in: “I just saw Chevy as fighting time — a true artist has to be OK with his reign being over. I can’t help him if he’s thrashing in the water. But I know there’s a human in there somewhere — he’s almost too human.”
The “Hot Tub Time Machine” star didn’t deny using the racist insult during an interview with the Washington Post later that same year.
“I could have said it,” he told the publication, before noting it would have been misinterpreted. He then added that he had been a fan of Glover’s the entire time they worked together on “Community” and denied that he was a bigot.
Chase recently expressed his hatred of the show, telling Marc Maron on his “WTF” podcast that “Community” wasn’t “funny enough” for him.
“I felt a little bit constrained a bit. Everyone had their bits and stuff. I thought they were all good, but it just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me,” he said.
The “Community” cast is set to reunite for a movie, but it’s unlikely that Chase will be a part of the project.
