Yvette Nicole Brown is speaking out ahead of the release of CNN's documentary on Chevy Chase, titled "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not," which reopens old wounds from the set of NBC's "Community" involving allegations of racist slurs and harassment. Brown, who starred as Shirley Bennett on the comedy, posted a statement on Instagram that appeared to address the documentary, though she never referenced it by name.
"These are things I've never spoken of publicly and perhaps never will," Brown wrote. "Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without ever speaking to me about the things they claim to know about. They actually don't really know me—at all."
She continued, "They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I've worked with & cannot credibly speak on any current or previous issues. I hate that this all had to be said. In East Cleveland speak: Keep my name out of your mouth."
No one in the "Community" cast agreed to participate in the documentary, directed by Maria Zenovich (2008's "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," 2020's "Lance"), which details the events that led to Chase's firing from the show in 2012, midway through its fourth season.
According to the documentary, Chase felt ostracized by the tight-knit cast, which besides Brown included breakout stars like Donald Glover, Alison Brie, and Joel McHale. He also clashed with series creator Dan Harmon, a feud that culminated with Chase arriving with his family to a wrap party only to find Harmon leading the room in a chant of, "Fuck you, Chevy!"
The incident that led to his firing involved a scene in which Chase's character Pierce Hawthorne performs a puppet show in which the hand puppet character performs in blackface.
An argument between Chase and Brown over the appropriateness of a particular scene allegedly included Chase using the N-word, causing Brown to storm off the set in a fit of anger. Director Jay Chandrasekhar, who participated in the documentary and was present during the incident, recounted the events. "I was aware of the history between [Chevy and Yvette] regarding race, and Yvette got up and stormed out. Chevy also left, leaving the producer to say, 'We need Yvette in the scene, right?' I agreed, 'Yes, she's in the next scene.' But he added, 'Well, she won't come back unless Chevy apologizes to her.'"
According to Chandrasekhar, Chase returned to the set but did not apologize. "He said, 'You know, me and Richard Pryor used to call each other that [the N-word], and we loved each other.' I agreed, 'I know that bit. Can we just have a small apology?' He asked, 'For what?'" It's worth noting that a tense exchange between Chase and Pryor on The Tonight Show in 1977, where Pryor said, "I don't like Chevy," suggests that their relationship might not have been as close as Chase claimed.
The Hollywood Reporter's coverage of the incident caused Chase to have a "full meltdown," according to Chandrasekhar. He shouted, "Who fucked me over?! ... My career is ruined! I'm ruined! Fuck all of you!" He was fired from the show that evening. Chase does not comment on the incident in the documentary.
Additionally, the film revealed that Chase was so unpopular on set that Harmon wrote his character breaking both legs into the plot so that Chase could film his scenes in a wheelchair separately from the rest of the cast. Chase's wife, Jayni Chase, also stated that he was heavily drinking at that time and would often show up to work drunk.
The CNN documentary, premiering on January 1st, features archival footage and new interviews with former colleagues and co-stars like Lorne Michaels and Goldie Hawn. It also includes new interviews with Chase himself. The film traces his rise in the 1970s as one of the original stars of Saturday Night Live, his blockbuster movie years with the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise, and his later reputation as a difficult collaborator.
