While Chevy Chase’s professional career has included some of the greatest comedies of all time, the man doesn’t simply have a reputation for being a great comedian, although he is one. He also has a reputation for being difficult and frequently clashing with others on set. Chevy Case’s wife of four decades has certainly heard it all, and it sounds like she’s heard enough.
Jayni Chase and Chevy have been married since 1982, so the pair have certainly been through it all, from the heights of his fame to the heart problems that left him in a coma. She’s likely also heard every negative thing anybody has ever said about her husband. Speaking with CNN, which aired the recent documentary film I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not, Jayni Chase made it clear that in her opinion, if you’ve ever taken issue with anything Chevy Chase said, that’s a you problem. She said…
If Chevy says something and you're offended, it's a little more on you than him. He takes risks. You can't get where he got without being a risk-taker, so dial it back and get a sense of humour. He's not an asshole, and neither are you.
The general argument here seems to be that everybody has said and done things that maybe weren't the best, or at least done things that weren't taken the way we were meant, and doing so doesn't make you a terrible person. I suppose there's some truth in that.
Chevy Chase has a history of behavior that has made headlines of its own over the years. The new documentary reportedly had difficulty finding anybody from the show Community who was willing to appear. Chase had a rather famous falling out with creator Dan Harmon.
The documentary itself even rekindled some feuds, as it brought back an infamous battle between Chase and Terry Sweeney, who clearly was offended by his SNL co-star reportedly suggested Sweeney perform in an allegedly homophobic sketch concept at the height of the AIDS crisis. However, Chase says in the film that he doesn’t remember it the way Sweeney claims it happened.
Even the documentary film itself isn’t without its controversy, as it contains a moment where Chevy Chase berates the film’s director as she is interviewing him. She has spoken openly about the fact that interviewing the comedian was a difficult task.
Certainly, sometimes comedians say and do controversial things, and sometimes those things can upset people more than the comedian necessarily intended. At the same time, many of the people who have been upset by Chase’s actions and statements in the past are also comedians.
Still, it is good to hear Jayni Chase’s own perspective and understand how she feels about the whole situation. The documentary on the life of Chevy Chase is currently available via CNN’s streaming platform, and will be available with an HBO Max subscription on January 31.
