Never afraid of stirring the pot, Chevy Chase has once again opened up about his abrupt departure fromCommunityin 2012. On Mark Maron’sWTFpodcast, Chase told the host he has all but forgotten about his participation on the show. “They wanted me. So, I said okay,” Chase told Maron, in a wide-ranging conversation about his career that eventually landed on a discussion about the NBC sitcom.
“I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained,” Chase added. “Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”
When asked how he felt about his character, millionaire bigot Pierce Hawthorne, Chase said, “I didn’t mind the character. I just felt that it was… I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much.”
Chase was ultimately fired from the series by creator Dan Harmon after83 episodes for reportedly using a racial slur on set. According to Chase, there appear to be no – or at least few – hard feelings between the two men.“I have no idea if we’re okay,” said Chase, adding he has not seen the producer since 2012. “I’ve never been not okay. He’s kind of a pisser.He’s angry. He called and said he was sorry. I love him now.”
Asked about his reputation for being difficult, Chase appeared surprised.“I don’t think people really felt that way,” he told Maron.“I don’t know what my reputation was among people. I just always assumed I was okay.”
The SNL alum has copped to being an acquired taste in previous interviews. When his reputation as a “jerk” was brought up on CBS’This Morningin 2022, Chase leaned all in.
“I don’t give a crap! I am who I am. And I like… who I am,” Chase said at the time. “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.”