Legendary comedian Chevy Chase has publicly expressed his hurt and confusion after being excluded from all sketches during NBC's landmark SNL50: The Anniversary Special in February, despite attending the live event.
A Founding Member Left in the Wings
The 82-year-old, who was an original cast member from 1975 to 1976, made the revelation in the upcoming CNN Films documentary I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not. The film premieres on January 1 at 8pm ET/PT. Chase admitted the oversight was "kind of upsetting," marking the first time he has spoken about the incident. He expected to join fellow original castmates on stage and was left questioning the decision when he saw Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman participate.
"No one asked me to," Chase confessed. "Why was I left aside?" His confusion was compounded by the appearance of Bill Murray, with whom he infamously had a backstage brawl in 1978. "Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not?" he scoffed. "I don't have an answer for that."
Confrontation and Regret with SNL's Creator
The National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation star, who also attended the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on February 14, took his grievance directly to SNL creator Lorne Michaels via text message. Although he later retracted the message, calling it "silly," he stood by the sentiment. "Somebody's made a bad mistake there," Chase stated. "They should've had me on that stage. It hurt."
In the documentary, Michaels offers a different perspective, recalling that producers considered Chase for two bits but faced internal caution. "We went back and forth on that," Michaels said. "There was also a caution from somebody that I don't want to name that Chevy, you know, wasn't as focused." Chase's wife, Jayni, contradicted this, claiming producers had wanted him for two sketches.
A Candid Portrait in a New Documentary
Director Marina Zenovich's film provides a deep dive into Chase's storied and often controversial career. It features interviews with notable figures including Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Nealon, Goldie Hawn, Ryan Reynolds, and Beverly D'Angelo.
The documentary also touches on Chase's personal life with his wife of 43 years, Jayni, and their three daughters. His daughter Emily offered a frank assessment of her father in the film, calling him "the a**hole that you love," a description the director acknowledged many would share.
The film doesn't shy away from other difficult chapters, including his 2012 outburst on the set of Community, where he reportedly used a racial slur during a dispute over his character's direction, and his subsequent departure from the show. Looking forward, Chase is set to appear in the indie horror comedy CATnip alongside Bruce Dern and Jake Busey.
