Thirteen years after Chevy Chase made headlines for reportedly using a racial slur on the set of the NBC sitcom Community, more details regarding the outburst are emerging.
In the upcoming “authorized yet unfiltered” CNN documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (out January 1), Jay Chandrasekhar — who directed a handful of Community episodes — details what he saw go down in 2012.
Chandrasekhar, 57, said he “was there, directing, the night that Chevy Chase got fired from Community,” according to People.
Shortly after the incident occurred, Deadline reported that Chase, now 82, was becoming “increasingly frustrated and uncomfortable with the direction of his character, Pierce, who is a bigot.” The outlet reported that Chase “snapped” and suggested he may eventually be asked to call the characters of Troy (Donald Glover) or Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), who are both Black, the N-word.
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The slur, according to multiple reports, was not directed towards the actors themselves.
In the new doc, per People, Chandrasekhar can’t remember exactly what was said but revealed that the outburst stemmed from a bit involving a “blackface” hand puppet.
Following the incident, Chandrasekhar recalled how it was leaked to The Hollywood Reporter, allegedly prompting a “full meltdown” from Chase.
When the cast returned to set, Chandrasekhar claimed Chevy stormed in and asked, “Who f**ked me over?”
The Saturday Night Live alum also said, according to the director, “My career is ruined! I’m ruined!” and “F**k all of you!”
2010 Kathy Hutchins / Hutchins Photo/Newscom/MEGA
Chandrasekhar claimed that Chase “never ended up coming back after that.”
While Chase eventually apologized for the incident, it wasn’t long before he left Community following the show’s fourth season. He made a brief return for one episode in Season 5.
It’s been widely reported that Chase was continuously at odds with creator Dan Harmon, who publicly cursed the actor out in front of his family at a wrap party. In return, Chase left Harmon a profane-laden voice message that was later leaked to the press.
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not premieres January 1 at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.