Chevy Chase Had On-Set Meltdown Amid N-Word Incident on ‘Community’
New details about Chevy Chase’s time on Community are coming out in a new CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar, known for his work with the Broken Lizard comedy group, recalls the night Chase was fired from the NBC sitcom. According to Chandrasekhar, Chase had a serious meltdown on set after an incident involving the N-word became public.
The situation reportedly involved co-star Yvette Nicole Brown. Chandrasekhar explained that there had been tension between Chase and Brown over race, and at one point, Brown left the set.
The producers wanted her back for the next scene, but she refused unless Chase apologized. When Chase returned, he denied doing anything wrong. Chandrasekhar recalled him saying, “You know, me and Richard Pryor, I used to call Richard Pryor the N-word, and he used to call me The Honky, and we loved each other.” Chandrasekhar said he tried to get Chase to apologize, but Chase responded, “For what?”
The incident reportedly happened during a “blackface” hand puppet scene for Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne. The Hollywood Reporter later explained that Chase was frustrated with his character’s storyline and used the N-word while questioning the dialogue. The report also noted that the word was not directed at Brown or Donald Glover, although both were on set.
Chandrasekhar said that after the story broke, Chase returned to the set in anger, shouting, “Who f**** me over? My career is ruined! I’m ruined! F*** all of you!” He never came back after that day.
Donald Glover had previously spoken about Chase’s behavior on set. In a 2018 New Yorker profile, Glover said Chase often made racist jokes and tried to disrupt his scenes. One remark included, “People think you’re funnier because you’re Black.”
Community creator Dan Harmon added that Chase’s behavior reflected jealousy over Glover’s talent. Harmon said, “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.”
Chase has defended himself in the past. In a 2022 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he said, “I don’t give a c****. I am who I am. And I like who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care.”
Chase left Community after Season 4 following the N-word incident and disagreements with Harmon. Chandrasekhar also mentions a wrap party where Harmon had the cast and crew chant, “F*** you, Chevy!” Chase’s daughter Caley recalled it was difficult, saying, “We walk in to ‘F*** you, Chevy!’ That’s rough and mean.”
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