Chevy Chase Allegedly Lost It on the ‘Community’ And Had a Meltdown on Set After N-Word Report Surfaced

New details about Chevy Chase’s exit from Community are coming out in a new CNN documentary, and they paint a tense picture of what happened behind the scenes during the show’s later seasons.

Community director Jay Chandrasekhar speaks about the incident in the upcoming CNN documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not.

In an interview featured in the film, Chandrasekhar says he was directing the night Chase was fired from the NBC series. His comments were first reported by People.

Chandrasekhar says Chase had a serious breakdown on set after reports surfaced that he used the N-word during a disagreement over dialogue. The situation reportedly involved co-star Yvette Nicole Brown. According to Chandrasekhar, there had already been tension between the two, and things escalated quickly. Brown left the set, and production could not continue without her.

Chandrasekhar explained that Brown refused to return unless Chase apologized. When Chase came back, he denied doing anything wrong. Chandrasekhar recalled Chase saying, “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.” Chandrasekhar said he tried to calm the situation and asked for a simple apology, but Chase responded, “For what?”

The incident reportedly happened during a scene involving a controversial hand puppet bit written for Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne. The Hollywood Reporter later covered the story, stating that Chase was unhappy with his character’s direction and used the slur while questioning the script. The report also noted that the word was not directed at Brown or Donald Glover, though both were present on set.

After the story became public, Chandrasekhar says Chase returned to work in an angry state. He described Chase storming onto the set and shouting, “Who f**** me over? My career is ruined! I’m ruined! F*** all of you!” Chandrasekhar said filming continued that day, but Chase never came back to the show after that moment.

Donald Glover previously spoke about his experiences with Chase in a 2018 interview with The New Yorker. Glover said Chase often made racist jokes between takes and tried to throw him off during scenes. One remark Glover recalled was, “People think you’re funnier because you’re Black.”

Community creator Dan Harmon also addressed the issue at the time. He said, “Chevy was the first to realize how immensely gifted Donald was, and the way he expressed his jealousy was to try to throw Donald off.” Harmon added that he apologized to Glover after difficult moments on set, but Glover did not seem shaken by them.

Glover later described Chase’s behavior as insecurity, saying Chase was “thrashing in the water” and struggling with the idea that his time in the spotlight was fading.

Chase has pushed back against these stories in the past. In a 2022 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he dismissed criticism from former co-stars and headlines about his behavior. He said, “I don’t give a c***. I am who I am. And I like who I am.”

Chase officially left Community after Season 4, following both the on-set controversy and a public clash with Harmon. Chandrasekhar says it was widely known that Chase was difficult to work with, mentioning a wrap party where Harmon led the crowd in chanting insults at Chase.

Chase’s daughter, Caley, also appears in the documentary and recalls attending that party with her parents. She described walking in while the crowd shouted insults at her father, calling the moment painful and mean.

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