Chevy Chase, 82, breaks silence about being left out of Saturday Night Live 50 year anniversary special

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Chevy Chase said he was upset about not appearing in any sketches during NBC’s celebration of Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary, even though he was present for the live show at 30 Rock on February 16th.

Chevy Chase, 82, expressed disappointment about not being included in CNN Films’ new documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, which debuts January 1st at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time. Chase was one of the show’s original cast members, appearing from 1975 to 1976.

‘Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,’ Chase confessed.

I’ve never really said this before, but I honestly thought I’d be performing on stage with the rest of the cast. When Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman went out there, I wondered why I wasn’t included. No one ever asked me to join them, and I couldn’t understand why I was left out.

The Emmy-winning comedian’s documentary is titled after a famous line he used when he first hosted Weekend Update, so he was surprised to see Bill Murray – who he famously fought backstage with in 1978 – appear in a new sketch celebrating SNL’s 50th anniversary.

‘Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not?’ Chase scoffed. ‘I don’t have an answer for that.’

Johnny Galecki, known for his role in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and a recent appearance at the SNL 50th anniversary concert, initially complained to SNL’s Lorne Michaels via text message, but then changed his mind.

‘I said, “Okay, I take it back, silly.” But it’s not that silly,’ Chase said.

A clear error in judgment happened. I’m not sure who was responsible, but someone definitely messed up. I should have been included, and it was really upsetting.

Although Chevy Chase’s third wife, Jayni Chase, said producers only wanted him to appear briefly, Lorne Michaels remembers a lot of discussion about how much to include him. Someone – who Michaels doesn’t want to identify – also expressed concern that Chase wasn’t fully focused at the time.

Marina Zenovich’s documentary about Chevy Chase includes interviews with many of his famous friends and colleagues, like Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Nealon, Goldie Hawn, Ryan Reynolds, and Beverly D’Angelo.

After 43 years of marriage, the couple first met in 1981 while working on the set of ‘Under The Rainbow.’ They have three daughters: Cydney, 42, Caley, 40, and Emily, 37, who praised a recent documentary as ‘beautifully done.’

‘He’s the a**hole that you love,’ Emily described in the doc. ‘Can I say a**hole?’

Zenovich replied: ‘A lot of people will, unfortunately.’

In 2012, in addition to the physical altercation with Murray, the actor was involved in an incident on the set of Community. According to Deadline, he allegedly used a racial slur during the outburst.

According to Deadline, the actor became increasingly upset with how his character, Pierce Hawthorne – a prejudiced and insensitive man – was being written. He reportedly worried the character was becoming excessively racist and joked that the next step would be forcing him to use a racial slur against the show’s Black actors.

Chase came back for a fourth season of the show, but he didn’t hide his disappointment. He told The Huffington Post UK that returning was a ‘big mistake,’ explaining he only did it because he had a family to support and needed the income.

He dropped out later that season.

Chase is set to star as Burt Leone in the independent horror comedy CATnip, directed by Nyle Cavazos Garcia. The film will also feature Bruce Dern, Joey Lauren Adams, Jake Busey, and Geoffrey Arend.

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2025-12-24 17:42