Chevy Chase has addressed criticism of his past on-set behaviour by saying that he “doesn’t care”.
Chase has been criticised in the past for his behaviour on Saturday Night Live and, more recently, the Dan Harmon comedy Community, which he left after reported conflicts with Harmon and other cast members.
When asked by CBS Sunday Morning about his negative experiences with his former collaborators who called him a “jerk”, Chase said: “I guess you’d have to ask them. I don’t give a crap.”
He added: “I am who I am. And I like where… who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care. And I’ve thought about that a lot. And I don’t know what to tell you, man. I just don’t care.”
Back in 2018 Pete Davidson described Chase as a “douchebag”, after the former Saturday Night Live comedian criticised the very show that helped him make his name.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Chase criticised the modern ensemble cast of the long-running entertainment show – having made his debut in 1975 alongside the likes of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
“A whole generation of shitheads laughs at the worst fucking humour in the world”, Chase said of the show. ”How could you dare give that generation worse shit than they already have in their lives? It just drives me nuts.”
But Davidson responded by saying “fuck Chevy Chase”, adding: “He’s just a genuinely bad, racist person and I don’t like him. He’s a putz.”
Chase was also accused of making “racial cracks” about Donald Glover on the set of Community. According to a 2018 New Yorker profile on Glover, Chase “often tried to disrupt his scenes and made racial cracks between takes”. In response, Chase said: “I am saddened to hear that Donald perceived me in that light.”
Davidson added at the time: “What has [Chase] done since ’83? Nothing. He had a big career and then it stopped because everybody realised he’s a jerkoff.
“He should know more than anybody. It’s disrespectful to [SNL founder] Lorne [Michaels] too, a guy who gave you a career. No matter how big you get, you can’t forget what that guy did for you.”
