The Terrible Chevy Chase 'Community' Stories Continue
For a show that was first canceled over eight years ago, the mythos and gossip surrounding the production of Community has continued to keep pop culture writers busy with a seemingly endless stream of rumors, accusations, and speculation about the cult classic sitcom. These stories usually center around the show’s most cantankerous former cast member, comedy legend Chevy Chase, and with the long-overdue announcement of the Community movie yesterday morning, we're sure to hear many, many more.
Content creator JeGaysus, a former background actor with extensive experience on the set of Community, recently shared his account of the day Chevy Chase was fired from the show. In his minute-long TikTok video, JeGaysus alleged that, on what became Chevy Chase’s last day as an cast member, Chevy used the n-word on set, which proved to be the racist straw that broke the camel’s back. According to JeGaysus, Yvette Nicole Brown promptly walked out of shooting after Chevy dropped the slur and declared, “I am not coming back until that man is off the show”. Chevy was escorted off the lot that day, and Pierce Hawthorne was quickly and unceremoniously killed off.
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In case you haven’t read “Chevy Chase: A History Of Being Terrible” or if you just aren’t familiar with Chevy Chase in general, the SNL alumnus has a well-earned reputation for being… “difficult." By the time Chevy joined the cast of Community in 2009, he was already 66 years old with the heyday of his illustrious career well in the rearview. By all accounts from his fellow cast members, Chevy was resentful and insecure about his status as the “resident senior." Friction between Chevy and the rest of the cast and crew started pretty much the moment he walked on set – just watch how Dan Harmon chose to break the news to the main cast that Community had been renewed for a second season:
Of course, Dan Harmon has his own reputation for on-set difficulties, and the constant clashes between Harmon and Chase were well-documented. When Harmon was fired from his job as showrunner, he famously went on an expletive-ridden rant against Chevy Chase, culminating in Harmon leading the cast and crew in a chant of “F— you Chevy!” in front of the man’s wife and daughter. Chevy left Dan a nasty voicemail, and with all the grace and maturity of a recently dumped 13 year-old, Dan leaked the voicemail at his monthly show to add to the pettiness and embarrassment surrounding the split.
The most telling indication of how the cast of Community feel towards Chevy post-departure came when Dan Harmon and the main cast (minus Chevy) held a quarantine reunion table read back at the beginning of the pandemic. The group chose to act out the episode “Cooperative Polygraphy”, which focused entirely around Pierce Hawthorne's death and the bitter aftermath of his passing. Not only was Chevy Chase absent from the guest list for the virtual event, but the cast specifically chose to celebrate his fictional death in order to bring themselves and their fans joy in a ravaged plague world:
As we eagerly anticipate updates on the Community movie, we can find comfort in the knowledge that every extra, every production assistant, every sound guy, and every janitor who swept the floors of Greendale will, at some point, provide us with a never-before-heard story about Chevy’s on-set awfulness. And we will listen to every single one.
Top Image: Dan Harmon Productions
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