Created by Dan Harmon, Community is a TV sitcom that ran for six seasons, the first five of which aired on NBC, while the sixth and final was picked up by Yahoo! Screen. Earlier this year, after much campaigning and anticipation by fans, a Community movie was announced to be in development at Peacock. Set in the fictional city of Greendale at a community college, the series follows seven characters from different backgrounds as they come together as a study group. It makes use of meta-humor and pop culture references, paying homage to film and television clichés and tropes.
The cast of Community boasted many talented actors, from Alison Brie to Donald Glover. Chevy Chase played the oldest member of the study group, Pierce Hawthorne, for the first four seasons of the show. Indeed, Chase notably ended up being fired from the show before season 5 began. Here’s why.
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Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne
NBC
Before joining Community in 2009 as one of its main cast members, Chase was known as a key player in Saturday Night Live. More than that, Chase was overall known for his archetypal characters in various comedic films, such as the National Lampoon’s Vacation film series and Three Amigos! Not having participated in a successful project since the 80s, having been cast in Community as the tycoon Pierce Hawthorne was seen as the actor’s glamorous comeback.
Of course, playing a role of a problematic ignorant character that everyone is supposed to hate wasn’t probably the best decision from the get-go. Pierce is a filthy rich old man who has been attending Greendale’s classes for years to spice up his lonely life. He has all the characters traits that you typically loathe in older, ignorant white men: sexist, homophobic, and racist. What’s more, Pierce doesn’t necessarily try to better himself in any way. Watching the other characters pick on him and treat him just as bad sometimes feels weirdly cathartic, but that’s always been his character’s purpose on Community.
Controversies Surrounding Chevy Chase
Chase has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most contentious comedians. Many fellow hosts, actors, and comedians have openly spoken about Chase’s behavior, whether on set or behind the scenes. After Chase critized SNL’s humour and its current cast, as reported by Variety, cast member Pete Davidson didn’t hold back in his hatred towards the racist actor, calling him a “fking dchebag.” Fellow SNL legend Will Ferrell recalled Chase’s return to the sketch comedy show as a special guest and pointed out how he was insulting everyone he came across. Per US Magazine, Ferrell said: “When he got to one of our female writers, he made some reference like, ‘Maybe you can give me a h**djob later.’”
As for the actual Community cast and his behavior on the show’s set, creator Dan Harmon opened up and reminisced just how troubling it was to work with the actor on set. Chase even went as far as refusing to film a key touching scene between Pierce and Abed because he didn’t like the direction of it and walked off set. According to Deadline, the feud between Chase and Harmon got heated when the creator called out the actor during the wrap-up party. The very angry voicemail the actor left for Harmon was subsequently leaked online.
Getting Fired From Community
Chase’s repetitive problematic behavior didn’t stop there. In a 2018 The New Yorker interview, both Harmon and Glover opened up about the incidents that happened on Community’s set. Harmon talked about how Chase was the first one to realize Glover’s talent and gift in acting and his jealousy knew no bounds: “I remember apologizing to Donald after a particularly rough night of Chevy’s non-P.C. verbiage, and Donald said, ‘I don’t even worry about it.’”
The final straw came when filming Community season four’s episode six “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking.” Chase expressed his anger with the story’s direction — his character’s arc in particular — and used yet another racial slur (although allegedly not used against any of the cast or crew). Both the actor and the network mutually agreed that it would be best if he left the TV series — so he did. As it seems, the actor hasn’t repented nor feels guilty of the problems and hurt he’s caused, claiming: “I don’t give a crap. I am who I am. And I like who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care."
Will Chase Return For the Community Movie?
The creators have held up their end by producing “six seasons and a movie,” with the latter to be released in 2023 on Peacock. There have been numerous discussions about who is most likely to return and who, on the other hand, is not. The two actors that left the show and had an unresolved feud between them — Glover and Chase — are the ones that have not been confirmed to return as of this writing. While there’s a bigger possibility that Glover will reprise his role as Troy, given how Chase has publicly expressed that signing on to Community was a big mistake and all the controversies surrounding him, it’s less likely we’ll see him back. Even Harmon recently mentioned that Chase’s return is less likely to happen, saying: “I don’t even know if it’s legal for Chevy to come back.”
