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NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\nNEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
In the new CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, a remark Chevy Chase made to director Marina Zenovich sparked backlash from viewers<\/p>\n
After insisting it would be difficult for her to figure him out, he claimed it was because Zenovich is “not bright enough”<\/p>\n
While some took it has humorous, others were offended by the comment amid Chase’s checkered past<\/p>\n
Chevy Chase<\/a> isn\u2019t one to hold back what he\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n In CNN\u2019s new authorized documentary, I\u2019m Chevy Chase and You\u2019re Not, the 82-year-old comedian takes a look back at the ups and downs of his career. Despite being a controversial figure in Hollywood, Chase proved to be unfiltered as ever during an interaction with director Marina Zenovich just minutes into the film.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to figure you out,\u201d she told the Saturday Night Live alum.<\/p>\n \u201cNo s—,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt’s not going to be easy for you.\u201d<\/p>\n When Zenovich questioned why he believed that, he quipped, \u201cYou’re not bright enough. How’s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWoah,\u201d the filmmaker reacted.<\/p>\n Jamie McCarthy\/Peacock via Getty<\/p>\n Chevy Chase<\/p>\n \u201cWell you asked,\u201d Chase continued. \u201cI know you\u2019re not gonna put that on the air, and I hope not. But my answer is, I’m complex, and I’m deep and I can be hurt easily. And I react spontaneously to people who want to figure me out, as it were. As somebody who will hold up my guard, I’m not gonna let anybody figure me out, per se.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment sparked a debate among fans, who took to social media to voice their opinions.<\/p>\n \u201cKind of immature, no?\u201d one user wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n While someone else added<\/a>, \u201cHe thinks no one has him figured out and everyone did figure him out and didn\u2019t like what they saw,\u201d another defended Chase<\/a> and his humor: \u201cHe is who he is, love him or hate him. Sometimes you have to take the artist with the art.\u201d<\/p>\n Chase rose to fame in the 1970s hosting the Weekend Update on SNL\u2019s debut season (the CNN doc is titled after his well-known catch phrase on the iconic sketch comedy show). He went on to star in several hit projects, including Foul Play, the Vacation series and Community \u2014 from which he was fired in 2012 after using the N-word on set<\/a>.<\/p>\n In I\u2019m Chevy Chase, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t give a crap\u201d when it comes to the negative press surrounding his name, although he shared a different sentiment with PEOPLE during a recent interview about the documentary.<\/p>\n \u201cI can be hurt easily,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI prefer to be liked, not disliked.\u201d<\/p>\n Jardin Althaus\/NBC<\/p>\n Chevy Chase on ‘Community’<\/p>\n In the aftermath of the incident, Chase apologized to the Community cast and later explained that he used the slur while making a point about his bigoted character, Pierce Hawthorne. The show\u2019s director, Jay Chandrasekhar, said during an interview in I\u2019m Chevy Chase that the actor had a \u201cmeltdown\u201d stemming from a \u201cblackface\u201d hand-puppet bit written for his character.<\/p>\n At the time, The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> also reported that Chase was \u201cfrustrated\u201d with the direction Pierce was going and used the N-word “when questioning the dialogue.\u201d The outlet further clarified that while stars Donald Glover<\/a> and Yvette Nicole Brown<\/a>, who are both Black, were present, \u201cThe slur was not directed at them.\u201d<\/p>\n Chase told PEOPLE that he decided to participate in the documentary because he’s always been misunderstood.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a normal civilian,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I have an argument with someone, it\u2019s done in 30 minutes, but a story will go through my whole history.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife Jayni added, \u201cPeople grow. No one is the same person they were 30 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d997fa67bc6d6f13f9d0687f211d545c.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Jardin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d21001de99a5ee88b8a4c5bc7da57de2.jpeg\"\/)
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