Although none of the Chevrolet Chase Community The co-stars participated in his CNN documentary, a Greendale alum responded.
Yvette Nicole Brown spoke out on social media Tuesday ahead of the film’s release on New Year’s Day. I’m Chevy Chase and you’re notwhich chronicles Chase’s firing from the NBC sitcom after allegedly using a racial slur on set.
“There are things I have never spoken about publicly and may never do. Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without EVER telling me about the things they claim to know,” she wrote in a statement on Threads. “Actually, they don’t really know me – at all.
“They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I worked with and cannot credibly speak on current or past issues. I hate that any of this has to be said. To East Cleveland, speak up: keep my name out of your mouth,” Brown added.
Sharing the statement on Instagram, Brown wrote in the caption that if she has “something to say, I have NO problem saying it. I have never had a problem speaking up when it is warranted or when I think it will change a wayward mind or truly disgusting behavior.”
Brown added in part: “I won’t say another word about this whole mess…again, because it’s beneath me. No one else should step up on my behalf either. #RunTelDat”
In the doc, Community Director Jay Chandrasekhar recalled that Chase had a “meltdown” on set following the incident in which the former SNL The actor apparently used the N-word in a conversation with Brown.
Although he didn’t actually hear the conversation between the two actors, Chandrasekhar says in the doc that he “was there, directing, the night Chevy Chase was fired from Community.” Chandrasekhar says the event stemmed from a scripted “blackface” hand puppet involving Chase. Community character Pierce Hawthorne.
Yvette Nicole Brown and Chevy Chase in “Community”
Mitchell Haaseth / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection
Chase, as detailed in a Deadline report at the time, was unhappy with his character’s racist development and said something to the effect that soon the writers would have him say the N-word. Only, he didn’t say “N-word.”
In the CNN film, Chandrasekhar, according to People, said: “I know there was a story between [Chase and Brown] around the race, and she got up and stormed out of there. Chevrolet storms off, so the producer says, “We need Yvette in the scene, don’t we?” I’m like, ‘Yeah, she’s in the next scene.’ And he says, “Well, she’s not coming out unless Chevrolet apologizes to her.” »
Chandrasekhar said Chase then claimed he “didn’t say anything.”
After creating the comedy series, Dan Harmon wrote the highly anticipated Community film with former screenwriter Andrew Guest, which was announced in 2024 as one of 19 projects that will benefit from $51.6 million in incentives from California’s Film and Television Tax Credits program.
Peacock has officially ordered the feature film in 2022, confirming the return of stars Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong. Brown also confirmed her return, noting in October 2024 that the script was “being reworked” to include her character Shirley. Chase will not reprise his role.
