Chevy Chase Addresses the N-Word Controversy on ‘Community’: His Thoughts on Racism
Chevy Chase Revisits Controversial Past in New Documentary
Chevy Chase is addressing the renewed controversy surrounding his alleged use of a racial slur on the set of Community in the newly released documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not. The film recounts the actor’s firing from the NBC sitcom after he reportedly used the N-word during a conversation with co-star Yvette Nicole Brown.
In an interview with the New York Times, Chase remarked, “It was too great a misunderstanding of what I was saying and not saying. 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. They were too young to be aware of my work. Instead, there was some sort of visceral reaction from them.”
The documentary features comments from Community director Jay Chandrasekhar, who described an “on-set meltdown” that followed the incident. Although he did not overhear the exchange, Chandrasekhar recalled directing the night Chase was let go, noting it was connected to a scripted “blackface” hand puppet bit involving Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne.
Yvette Nicole Brown responded to the documentary on social media, emphasizing that no one can adequately represent her experiences on the show. “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 stated on Threads. “They actually don’t really know me — at all.”
Brown further emphasized her desire for her name to be respected, saying, “They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I’ve worked with and cannot credibly speak on any current or previous issues. I hate that all this had to be said. In East Cleveland speak: Keep my name out your mouth.”
Reflecting on his time with Community, Chase remarked that it “wasn’t a bad experience,” but he did not regard the show as particularly great. He dismissed concerns about being labeled negatively, asserting, “I don’t have any need to do that. The whole issue of them thinking I’m an [expletive], it’s all junk. I don’t care much about it. I have a great, great life, a wonderful family.”
When questioned about whether his past actions impacted his career, Chase said, “I don’t think I sabotaged my career. I think we go up and down and up and down, up and down. You make mistakes… and then you get to where I am now, where I don’t think any of that matters anymore. All that matters is how I am with people throughout the rest of my life.”
Glenn Garner contributed to this report.
