BETWEEN THE LINES

Chevy Chase’s ‘Community’ Co-Star Responds to N-Word Uproar

Yvette Nicole Brown is speaking out.

A Chevy Chase documentary is reopening old wounds.

The upcoming CNN doc, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, gives an inside look into Chase’s career, conflicts, and relationships. While some colleagues and collaborators from the actor-comedian’s past appear in the project, his castmates from Community refused. Only filmmaker Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed several episodes of the sitcom, agreed to participate, shedding light on an infamous incident in which Chase, now 82, used the N-word in a conversation with co-star Yvette Nicole Brown.

Chandrasekhar, 57, detailed the night of the 2012 incident, which became the catalyst for Chase’s firing from the show. Chase allegedly became unhappy with a “blackface” hand-puppet scene written for his character, Pierce Hawthorne. According to Deadline, the actor retaliated by saying his character would soon be saying the N-word. Reports suggest that Brown, his co-star in the scene, stormed off. The Hollywood Reporter, at the time, reported that Donald Glover and Brown were both on set at the time but “the slur was not directed at them.” Production was briefly halted before Chase apologized.

Chandrasekhar said, according to Variety, that Chase had “a full meltdown.” The director explained that he came “storming onto the set, and he goes, ‘Who f---ed me over?’ … My career is ruined! I’m ruined!’ Like, it’s a full meltdown. ‘F--- all of you!’ And I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s shoot the scene.’ He never ended up coming back after that.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to Chase’s representatives for comment.

Now Brown, 54, is speaking out about the incident, sort of. In a statement posted on Instagram the actress didn’t name anyone or give specific details, but insisted that people speaking about her “don’t really know” anything.

“Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without EVER speaking to me about the things they claim to know about,” posted Brown. “They actually don’t really know me -- at all. They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I’ve worked with & cannot credibly speak on any current or previous issues.”

She continued in the caption, again without naming names, writing, “if I have something to say, I have NO problem saying it. I’ve never had a problem speaking up and out with my whole chest when it is warranted or when [I] think it will change a wayward mind or some disgusting behavior.”

“And when someone chooses to sully or defile themselves, I let them -- BIG age or not. And they need to own fully what they alone have done without placing blame or looking for scapegoats. Don’t smear any of that mess over here for clout or reputation rehabilitation. This side of the street remains clean,” she wrote.

In her lengthy, but cryptic, post, Brown urged followers and fans not to chime in. She wrote, “Read between whatever lines you need to.”

NOT INTERESTED

No One From ‘Community’ Wanted to Be in the Chevy Chase Doc

Meera Navlakha

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not will premiere on CNN at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.

Meera NavlakhaEntertainment Reporter

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