Overview
- Director Jay Chandrasekhar says he was directing the night Chevy Chase was fired and recounts a “full meltdown” after news of a “racial incident” leaked.
- The account places the dispute during a scripted “blackface” puppet bit, with prior reporting saying the slur came while questioning dialogue rather than being aimed at Yvette Nicole Brown or Donald Glover.
- Production paused after the 2012 episode, Chase issued an apology, exited after Season 4 in 2013, and returned for one episode in 2014.
- Filmmaker Marina Zenovich says most Community figures declined to be interviewed, leaving Chandrasekhar as the primary on‑camera participant tied to that set.
- The authorized CNN film features Chase, his family and collaborators, and examines childhood abuse, substance addiction and a 2021 heart‑failure coma; it premieres Jan. 1 on CNN.