EXCLUSIVE: Inside Chevy Chase's Hollywood Downfall — How His 'Twisted Personality' Has Seen Him Go From Beloved Comedy Hero to Detested Showbiz Exile
Chevy Chase is the subject of a brutal new documentary that sets out to reassess his legacy.
Jan. 4 2026, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Chevy Chase is the subject of a brutal new documentary that sets out to reassess his legacy – and exposes how a once-beloved comedy hero became one of Hollywood's most isolated and difficult figures.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the CNN Films documentary, I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not, traces the rise and fall of the actor born Cornelius Crane Chase, from his breakout success on Saturday Night Live in 1975 to his eventual status as a showbiz pariah.
From 'SNL' Star To Industry Outcast
The documentary traced Chevy Chase's rise from 'SNL' breakout to showbiz outcast.
Directed by double Emmy-award winner Marina Zenovich, the film draws on interviews with Chase, his family and former colleagues to examine how fame, addiction – and what sources told us is Chase's as a "twisted personality" – derailed a glittering career that began in New York and spanned five decades.
The film revisits Chase's early ascent as the first anchor of Weekend Update and a two-time Emmy winner in 1976, before charting his movie stardom in Caddyshack, the National Lampoon franchise and The Three Amigos.
But it quickly pivots to the behavior that alienated collaborators.
Zenovich appears on screen as a subject herself when Chase refers to her early in the film as a "b----" – a moment that sets the tone for interviews that frequently become combative.
Persona Turns Toxic
Chase insulted Zenovich on camera and set a combative tone for the interviews.
A source close to the production said the documentary shows "why people eventually stopped making allowances for Chevy," adding: "There's an honesty here that explains how someone so gifted pushed everyone away. He really does have a twisted personality."
Another industry insider said Chase's on-set conduct "turned a legend into liability."
Chase reflects on his personal life in the film, including forgetting the name of his first wife Susan.
"How could I forget?" he said, before adding: "Because I want to."
He also admits being hurt at not being invited to perform during Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special earlier this year, saying it "hurt" and that someone made a "big mistake."
Career Crumbles Amid Clashes
Lorne Michaels explained he received a caution that Chase wasn’t focused enough.
Speaking in the film, SNL creator Lorne Michaels explains there was discussion about Chase appearing, but said he received a "caution from somebody I don't want to name Chevy wasn't as focused" as required.
The documentary also revisits a notorious 1985 incident when Chase clashed with Terry Sweeney, SNL's first openly gay cast member.
Asked about it, Chase initially laughs and says: "That's the worst." He later insists: "None of that's true. I would remember that."
The film documents how Chase's career faltered in the 1990s after flops including Memoirs of an Invisible Man, before a late revival on Community in 2009 as Pierce Hawthorne.
Final Breakdown Ends Comeback
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Chase admitted it hurt when he wasn’t invited to perform at SNL’s 50th anniversary.
Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed several episodes of the show, describes the atmosphere on set.
"There was a bit of a negativity around Chevy and the rest of the cast," he says. "There was a desire to shoot him out every day."
Chandrasekhar also recounts a confrontation over line delivery, saying: "I'm like, 'If you pull that pause out, I think it's going to be funnier'… he's like, 'Fine. F--- it.'"
He adds Chase later admitted: "You're right, that was better."
And a breakdown came after an on-set confrontation involving the N-word.
Chandrasekhar recalls Chase saying: "You know, me and Richard Pryor, I used to call Richard Pryor the N-word, and he used to call me The Honky, and we loved each other."
Chase is also said to have gotten into an argument with a black star on the show. Hours after the story leaked to the press, Chase erupted: "Who f----- me over?" and: "My career is ruined! I'm ruined!"
Chase never returned to the series. The documentary ends with family members discussing his alcoholism, heart failure in 2021 and childhood abuse, while Chase himself tells Zenovich: "You're not bright enough. How's that?"
