Caddyshack actor Chevy Chase, 82, seen in a wheelchair before kissing his longtime wife during very rare sighting

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Hollywood movie icon Chevy Chase made a rare sighting in Florida on Thursday evening.

82-year-old Chevy Chase appeared at the 40th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival for a showing of his new movie, I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not, at Savor Cinema.

The actor, famous for his roles in the National Lampoon Vacation movies and Caddyshack, appeared on the red carpet in a wheelchair, assisted by a helper.

Once inside, however, he was seen standing up on his own with no problem.

I spotted the incredibly funny Chevy Chase looking so happy and content with his wife, Jayni, who he’s been with for 44 years! It was genuinely heartwarming – they even shared a sweet kiss. It’s moments like those that really remind you what life is all about.

The former SNL cast member paired a gray blazer with a pink, untucked button-down shirt, dark blue jeans, and beige sneakers without laces.

Chase added a cap over his silver locks.

According to Chase’s manager, who spoke with the Daily Mail in December 2023, the actor is doing very well health-wise and only uses a wheelchair for longer trips or when he needs to travel frequently.

In 2021 Chase was admitted to hospital with near-fatal heart failure.

Chase ‘came back from the dead’ he has said.

The comedian spent five weeks in hospital due to heart issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, his daughter Caley Chase shared that her father had a serious heart issue and has since recovered remarkably. She described it as him ‘coming back from the dead’.

His wife, Jayni, explained that he was unwell and unable to say what was wrong, so they went to the emergency room. There, his heart stopped. She explained that years of heavy drinking had caused cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle weakens and struggles to pump enough blood.

Chase’s friend, Peter Aaron, was seriously ill with heart failure – a condition sometimes caused by a disease of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy – and his family was warned he might not pull through.

He explained that doctors had decided to put the patient into a medically induced coma, possibly for around eight days, and acknowledged that this would be very hard on his body.

Caley explained that the doctor had given them a grim warning: there was a real possibility their loved one wouldn’t recover, or might be severely changed if he did. They were told to brace for the worst. When he finally woke up, the only thing he could do was speak.

Caley realized her father, a comedian, was recovering well when he began telling jokes to the nurse who was adjusting his medical equipment.

Caley recounted a conversation where a woman stated she needed to place something inside, and a man jokingly replied with a well-known phrase playing on her words.

It was a really tough road to recovery for him, and Peter shared that he was dealing with some cognitive challenges after being in a coma. It took a good while for him to fully get his bearings and start to feel like himself again, and honestly, it was heartbreaking to watch, but so inspiring to see his progress.

He went on: ‘I feel like his memory gaps come from that incident.’

Chase confirmed that doctors had warned him the injury would likely cause memory loss, and he believed that’s exactly what had occurred.

I had heart failure, but I’m doing much better now. The doctors explained it can cause memory problems, so I sometimes need reminders to help me remember things.

Marina Zenovich, the director, has stated that Chevy Chase was the most impolite celebrity she’s ever spoken with.

The director of ‘I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not’ was nervous about talking to the actor because of his known difficult behavior. However, the conversation became surprisingly easy when he was immediately impolite to her.

When Zenovich said he was trying to understand him, the man responded that it wouldn’t be easy, and bluntly added that Zenovich wasn’t intelligent enough to do so.

She told Variety that she’d never experienced such rudeness in an interview. She was particularly anxious before meeting him, worried about how to address the widespread perception that he was difficult to deal with. She feared he’d end the interview if she brought it up, so when he unexpectedly admitted it himself, she felt she had an opening to connect with him.

Chase has clashed with Terry Sweeney from Saturday Night Live, and also had disagreements with the whole cast of the NBC show Community.

I was curious to understand the person behind Chevy Chase’s on-camera persona – the conflicted, cautious, and vulnerable man he often seemed to be. I wanted to know what lay beneath his sometimes intimidating celebrity image and if he was truly aware of himself. After a long interview with him, I can say that he is self-aware, but also carries a lot of pain and sadness.

Terry Sweeney, who was the first openly gay cast member on Saturday Night Live, had a falling out with Chase after suggesting a sketch that made fun of the AIDS epidemic.

The documentary brings up the incident again, and Sweeney shared with The Hollywood Reporter that she believes the person involved is only hurting their own reputation with their behavior. She expressed strong disapproval, suggesting their actions stem from personal issues and ultimately explain their negative character.

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2026-02-27 20:19