Chevy Chase has defended himself against allegations of racism following the release of a new CNN documentary, 'I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not', which revisits his controversial departure from the sitcom 'Community'. In a joint interview with The New York Times alongside the documentary's director, Marina Zenovich, Chase insisted, 'I’m not racist,' and dismissed the show as 'not that good'.
The documentary recounts an incident during Season 4 when Chase allegedly used the N-word on set. According to the film, Chase became frustrated with his character's increasing bigotry, particularly a storyline involving a blackface hand puppet. It is alleged that Chase asked whether his character would next be made to use a racial slur and reportedly uttered the slur in reference. Chase claimed the incident was a 'misunderstanding' and that those who took offence were 'too young to be aware of my work'.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar, interviewed in the documentary, described a 'meltdown' after the incident leaked to the press. He said Chase compared his use of the N-word to his friendship with Richard Pryor, stating, '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 added that Chase refused to apologise to co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, who had stormed off set.
Following the leak, Chase reportedly arrived on set 'storming' and had a 'full meltdown', shouting, 'Who fucked me over? My career is ruined! I’m ruined!' He never returned after that. Zenovich revealed that many cast and crew members declined to participate in the documentary, with 'every single person saying no' due to things they 'don’t want to talk about'.
In response to the documentary, Yvette Nicole Brown posted on Instagram that anyone speaking for or about her with 'perceived authority' has never spoken to her about the events. Donald Glover previously told The New Yorker in 2018 that Chase repeatedly made racist jokes on set. Chase, however, told CBS Sunday Morning in 2022 that he 'doesn’t give a crap' about the headlines, adding, 'I am who I am.'
