In CNN Films’ upcoming documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, the comedy legend says he was genuinely hurt after not being included onstage during Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special earlier this year.
“Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,” Chase admits in the film. “This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors.”
Chase, who was part of the original SNL cast and helped create the iconic “Weekend Update” segment, says he was confused when fellow early cast members Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman appeared onstage—while he did not.
“When Garrett and Laraine went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t,” he says. “No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?”
The actor also questioned why Bill Murray appeared during the “Weekend Update” segment while he was excluded. “Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not? I don’t have an answer for that,” Chase says.
Chase explains that he briefly raised the issue with SNL creator Lorne Michaels via text, but quickly backed off. “I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly,’” he recalls. “But it’s not that silly. Somebody’s made a bad mistake there. They should’ve had me on that stage. It hurt.”
According to the documentary, Chase did attend the February anniversary special, and plans initially suggested he would have a larger role. His wife, Jayni Chase, says the couple was told right up until the day of the show that there were ideas in motion.
“People told Chevy up until that day that there were two bits, they were going back and forth,” she says in the film. “And then, all of the sudden, ‘No, there’s no bit.’”
Michaels addresses the situation in the documentary, acknowledging that different versions of “Weekend Update” were discussed. He also notes there was concern from someone involved that Chase “wasn’t as focused,” though he does not name who raised the issue.
Despite decades of complicated history with SNL, Chase’s comments reveal that the anniversary snub still stings—especially given his foundational role in the show’s early success.
“I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” premieres January 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
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