Chevy Chase has broken his silence on the controversy that led to his departure from NBC’s sitcom Community, firmly stating he is not racist amid renewed scrutiny from a new CNN documentary.
The veteran comedian addressed the N-word scandal that led to his abrupt Community exit, telling the New York Times, “I’m not racist.” The comments come as the documentary “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” brings fresh attention to the 2012 incident that ultimately ended his tenure on the hit series.
Chase sat down with The New York Times alongside Marina Zenovich, the documentary’s director, where he was pressed about his tumultuous time on Community. When asked about the scandal, Chase characterized it as a misunderstanding. “It was too great a misunderstanding of what I was saying and not saying,” Chase told The Times about his exit. “I thought that there was at least one person — and another who, for some ungodly reason, didn’t get me, didn’t know who I was, or didn’t realize for one second I’m not racist.”
The actor played Pierce Hawthorne, a wealthy and often tone-deaf character, through the first four seasons of Community before his departure. His exit followed increasingly public disputes with series creator Dan Harmon and a widely reported incident involving the racial slur.
According to the documentary, the controversy stemmed from a scripted scene involving a blackface hand puppet. Community director Jay Chandrasekhar, who participated in the film, provided his account of what transpired on set. Chandrasekhar said Chase had a “meltdown” on set after an incident in which he allegedly used the N-word on set, which was leaked to the press.
The director explained that the incident occurred between Chase and co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, who is Black. “I know that there was a history between [Chase and Brown] around race, and she got up and stormed out of there,” Chandrasekhar says in the CNN film. “Chevy storms off, so the producer is like, ‘We need Yvette in the scene, right?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, she’s in the next scene.’ And he goes, ‘Well, she won’t come out unless Chevy apologizes to her.'”
Chandrasekhar recounted that Chase returned to the set but claimed he hadn’t said anything wrong. “He goes, ‘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.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, man, I love that bit.’ I said, ‘You know, can we just have a little apology?’ He goes, ‘For what?'”
When news of the incident leaked to the media, the situation escalated. Chase, according to Chandrasekhar, had a “full meltdown.” The director says Chase came “storming onto the set, and he goes, ‘Who f*cked me over?'”
Meanwhile, Yvette Nicole Brown has spoken out on social media ahead of the documentary’s release, though she did not mention Chase by name. “There are things I’ve never spoken of publicly and perhaps never will. Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without EVER speaking to me about the things they claim to know about,” she wrote in a statement on Threads.
Brown emphasized her autonomy over her own story. “They actually don’t really know me — at all. They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I’ve worked with & cannot credibly speak on any current or previous issues. In East Cleveland speak: Keep my name out your mouth.”
Chase continued to defend his perspective on the show itself. “It wasn’t a bad experience. I just didn’t think it was that good, the show,” Chase told the New York Times, while reflecting on his time on Community. When asked about his character’s ending, Chase said, “I thought it ended great.”
The actor also suggested that younger cast members didn’t understand his comedy background. “They were too young to be aware of my work. Instead, there was some sort of visceral reaction from them.”
Donald Glover, who starred alongside Chase on Community, previously told The New Yorker in 2018 that Chase routinely made racist jokes on set. The documentary also reveals that at a wrap party, creator Dan Harmon allegedly led the room in chanting against Chase, creating additional tension.
None of Chase’s Community co-stars participated in the CNN documentary, which premiered on New Year’s Day. The film explores Chase’s career from his Saturday Night Live fame through his reputation as a difficult collaborator in Hollywood.
