Chevy Chase Allegedly Lost It on the ‘Community’ And Had a Meltdown on Set After N-Word Report Surfaced

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A new CNN documentary is revealing more about Chevy Chase’s departure from the show Community, suggesting a difficult atmosphere during its final seasons. The documentary highlights tension behind the scenes that contributed to his exit.

In the upcoming CNN documentary, ‘I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,’ community director Jay Chandrasekhar discusses the incident.

According to an interview in the film, Chandrasekhar was directing the night Chase was let go from his NBC show. The magazine People was the first to report on his statements.

According to sources, Chevy Chase experienced a significant emotional episode on set after accusations arose that he used a racial slur during a dispute about the script with his co-star, Yvette Nicole Brown. There was already existing friction between Chase and Brown, and this incident quickly made things worse. Brown ultimately left the set, halting production because her presence was essential.

Chandrasekhar stated that Brown wouldn’t return unless Chase apologized. When Chase did come back, he insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong. Chandrasekhar remembered Chase saying that he and Richard Pryor used to playfully use racial slurs with each other – Chase used the N-word with Pryor, and Pryor called him “Honky” – and that they were close friends. Chandrasekhar attempted to de-escalate the situation by requesting a straightforward apology, but Chase simply asked, “What are you apologizing for?”

The issue occurred while filming a scene featuring a puppet, which was part of the storyline for Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chase was dissatisfied with how his character was being developed and used a racial slur when discussing the script. Importantly, the slur wasn’t aimed at Sterling K. Brown or Donald Glover, even though they were both present during the incident.

Once the story became public, Chandrasekhar claims Chase returned to work extremely upset. He says Chase rushed onto the set, yelling, “Who betrayed me? My career is over! I’m ruined! You’re all terrible!” According to Chandrasekhar, they continued filming that day, but Chase never appeared on the show again.

In a 2018 interview with The New Yorker, Donald Glover described how Chevy Chase made racist jokes and intentionally tried to disrupt his performances on set. Glover recalled Chase telling him, “People think you’re funnier because you’re Black.”

Dan Harmon, the creator of Community, also spoke about the situation. He explained that Chevy Chase was the first to recognize Donald Glover’s talent, but instead of being supportive, Chase reacted with jealousy, attempting to sabotage Glover’s performance. Harmon mentioned he apologized to Glover for these challenging on-set moments, but Glover didn’t appear to be bothered by them.

Looking back, Glover really nailed what was going on with Chase. He described him as deeply insecure, like someone flailing around and panicking because he was worried his moment in the sun was slipping away. It wasn’t about malice, Glover implied, but a real fear of losing the spotlight.

Chase has previously defended himself against negative reports. In a 2022 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he brushed off criticism from past colleagues and media coverage of his actions, stating plainly, “I don’t care. I am who I am, and I like myself.”

After appearing on Community for four seasons, Chevy Chase departed the show following disagreements with creator Dan Harmon and a publicized on-set conflict. According to actor Gillian Jacobs, Chase was known as a challenging colleague, and there was even an incident at a wrap party where Harmon reportedly led the cast and crew in chanting insults directed at him.

Chase’s daughter, Caley, is also featured in the documentary and remembers going to the party with her parents. She described a hurtful scene where people were shouting insults at her father, which she found deeply upsetting.

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2025-12-30 12:45