Brown, who played Shirley Bennett on the show, shared a pointed statement on Instagram that many fans believe is a response to the documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not. While she did not mention the film directly, her words were unmistakably firm.
“These are things I’ve never spoken of publicly and perhaps never will,” Brown wrote. “Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without EVER speaking to me… They actually don’t really know me — at all.”
She went on to say that others do not understand her personal relationships or experiences on set and cannot credibly speak on her behalf. Brown ended her message with a blunt warning: “In East Cleveland speak: Keep my name out of your mouth.”
The documentary, directed by Marina Zenovich, explores the events that led to Chase’s firing from Community in 2012 during its fourth season. Notably, none of the main cast members agreed to participate in the film.
According to the documentary, Chase felt increasingly isolated from the rest of the cast, which included rising stars like Donald Glover, Alison Brie, and Joel McHale. His already strained relationship with series creator Dan Harmon reportedly worsened over time.
One particularly notorious incident described in the film involved a wrap party where Harmon allegedly led a roomful of people in a chant of “Fuck you, Chevy!” after Chase arrived with his family.
The final breaking point, according to the documentary, centered on a scene in which Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne, performs a puppet show involving blackface. An argument over the scene’s appropriateness allegedly escalated when Chase used the N-word during a confrontation with Brown, prompting her to walk off set.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar, who does appear in the documentary, said he witnessed the incident. He recalled that Brown refused to return to filming unless Chase apologized.
Chase eventually came back to set, Chandrasekhar said, but declined to apologize. Instead, he referenced his past friendship with Richard Pryor, suggesting that their mutual use of racial slurs had been part of a joking relationship. Chandrasekhar said he urged Chase to simply apologize, but Chase reportedly replied, “For what?”
As the documentary prepares to air, Brown’s statement makes one thing clear: she does not want her story told by others, and she is drawing a firm boundary around her name, her experiences, and her voice.
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