Caley Chase, the daughter of actor Chevy Chase, has disclosed that the cast and crew of the television series Community heckled her father during a wrap party for the show. In the CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, Caley recounted her experience at the event, stating that her father was enthusiastic about introducing her and her mother to his colleagues.
“My dad was super excited to bring me and my mom to the wrap party,” Caley, now 40, reflected. She described how, upon their arrival, Dan Harmon, the show’s creator, had encouraged the entire cast and crew to chant, “F*** you, Chevy!” This moment was jarring for Caley, who felt it was “rough and mean” to witness such treatment of her father.
The NBC sitcom, which premiered in 2009, followed a diverse group of students at a community college and ran for five seasons before being revived for a sixth season on the now-defunct Yahoo! Screen in 2015. Chevy Chase, 82, portrayed the character Pierce Hawthorne but left the show in 2012 after a controversial incident involving the use of a racial slur on set.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar, who participated in the documentary, recounted an incident involving a “blackface” hand puppet bit that was intended for Chase’s character. He mentioned that Yvette Nicole Brown, a co-star, was so affected by the racial implications that she left the set in protest. “I know that there was a history around race,” Chandrasekhar said, emphasizing how tense the situation had become.
The fallout from the incident escalated, with Brown reportedly refusing to participate in a scene until Chase apologized. When asked by the director to make amends, Chase allegedly responded, “For what?”
In the wake of these events, tensions between Chase and Harmon grew, culminating in Harmon being dismissed as showrunner after a leaked voicemail from Chase went public. In a 2023 podcast interview on WTF with Marc Maron, Chase acknowledged the complicated nature of his relationship with Harmon. “I have no idea if we’re OK,” he said, adding, “I love him now,” suggesting a degree of reconciliation between the two.
Brown’s reaction to Chase’s comments on the podcast was notably sarcastic, as she quipped on social media, “He seems nice.” She also indicated that she had no plans to address her dynamic with Chase publicly, stating, “Never have. Probably never will.”
The documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not sheds light on the tumultuous atmosphere behind the scenes of Community and offers insights into the challenges faced by its cast. As the narrative unfolds, it highlights the complexities of working relationships in the entertainment industry, particularly when sensitive topics such as race come into play.
This retrospective on Chase’s career and his controversial moments serves as a reminder of the evolving conversations around race and accountability in Hollywood.
