A witness to the 2012 incident stated that Chevy Chase had a “full meltdown” after using the N-word on the set of “Community.” According to People, director Jay Chandrasekhar said in the forthcoming CNN documentary “I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not” that he was in charge of the NBC comedy the evening Chase was dismissed for using the racist slur.
Chandrasekhar claims that Chase “said something” to co-star Yvette Nicole Brown because he was upset with a “blackface” hand marionette scene that was written for Chevy’s character, Pierce Hawthorne.
Chandrasekhar stated, “I know that there was a history between [Chevy and Brown] around race, and she got up and stormed out of there,” Chandrasekhar claimed. “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.’
Chase reportedly reappeared on the set, according to Chandrasekhar, but he said he “didn’t say anything.” “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?’” Chandrasekhar clarified
The director also mentioned that there had been a “racial incident” on the set, according to a leak to The Hollywood Reporter. Chase had a “full meltdown” when the cast and crew later returned to the site, according to Chandrasekhar. “My career is ruined!” Chase exclaimed as he stormed onto the scene. “My career is ruined! I’m ruined!’ Like, it’s a full meltdown. ‘F–k all of you!’ Chandrasekhar recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s shoot the scene.’ He never ended up coming back after that.”
Chandrasekhar also discussed the tense relationship between Chase and Dan Harmon, the executive producer of “Community,” citing the incident in which Harmon persuaded attendees at the show’s closing party to yell “F–k you, Chevy!” Chase then notoriously left Harmon a vulgar voicemail.
“It was out in the open that Chevy Chase was a little difficult on ‘Community, ‘and I’m being nice,” said Chandrasekhar. “People were talking about it, enough that creator Dan did that thing at the wrap party.”
When the event occurred in 2012, THR stated that Chase “apologized immediately” to his “Community” co-stars for using the N-word during a tirade about his character’s problems. According to reports, he shouted the slur because he didn’t understand the wording in a scene involving Donald Glover and Brown. In a 2018 interview with the Washington Post, Chase did not refute using the racial epithet.
The comedian told the media outlet, “I could have said it,” before asserting that it would have been misunderstood. The actor denied being racist and claimed that he had been a fan of Glover’s during their time together on the program.
