*A new documentary brings fresh details about the racial controversy that ended Chevy Chase’s time on “Community,” with director Jay Chandrasekhar providing his account of the heated on-set confrontation.
As EW reports, the conflict erupted during filming of a storyline featuring a “blackface hand puppet” and Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne. In CNN Films’ upcoming documentary “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” Chandrasekhar explained that Chase made a comment to co-star Yvette Nicole Brown that he didn’t personally overhear, but the reaction was swift. “I know that there was a history between [Chevy and Yvette] around race, and she got up and stormed out of there,” he said.
Filming came to a halt when Brown refused to return without receiving an apology. Chase refused to apologize and instead invoked his past relationship with comedian Richard Pryor, stating: “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,'” according to Chandrasekhar.
The situation intensified after The Hollywood Reporter published details about Chase using the N-word while questioning his dialogue, though the slur wasn’t aimed at Brown or Donald Glover despite their presence. Chandrasekhar described Chase’s on-set meltdown that followed, with the actor shouting, “Who f—ed me over?” and declaring, “My career is ruined! I’m ruined!” Chase never returned to shoot additional scenes. He eventually apologized and left after season four.
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Brown addressed the situation on Instagram before the documentary’s release, writing, “These are things I’ve never spoken of publicly and perhaps never will,” and adding, “In East Cleveland speak: Keep my name out of your mouth.”
“I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” debuts January 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
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