Chevy Chase is one of the more interesting and controversial performers in all of comedy. His impact as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live is undeniable, but Chase is known not only for making fans but also for making enemies. Now, a new documentary about the star’s life, which takes on the controversy surrounding him directly, is adding fuel to the fire. That became clear as SNL vet Terry Sweeney reacted to what the comedian said about him in this documentary.
What Chevy Chase Said About Terry Sweeney In New Documentary
On New Year’s Day, CNN will air the new documentary I’m Chevy Chase, And You’re Not, which follows the career of the SNL and National Lampoon’s Vacation star. One topic it covers is a decades-long battle between Chase and fellow SNL performer Terry Sweeney. This happened because Chase suggested doing an AIDS related sketch with the openly gay comedian in the mid-1980s.
Sweeney was, quite obviously, upset by all this. In a book later written by him, he says Chase eventually apologized but was “furious” that he had to do so. Chase claims in the doc that the event didn’t happen that way, or if it did, he has since changed. However, the Community actor also (via THR) refers to Sweeney saying…
Terry Sweeney, he was very funny, this guy. I don’t think he’s alive anymore.
Without the full context of the quote, it’s difficult to say whether Chase is even trying to make a joke or whether he honestly believed Sweeney was dead, but to Sweeney, it doesn’t matter.
How The SNL Vet Responded To Chase’s Comment
Needless to say, Terry Sweeney is not dead. He’s also not loving the latest comments from Chevy Chase. It’s not hard to see how a line about Terry Sweeney being dead, made in the context of a discussion about AIDS, might be seen as less than funny. When THR asked Sweeney for comment, he responded, saying…
Don’t you think he is saying this and making himself look more like the ass he is!!! It all reflects rightly horribly on him!
Sweeney is far from the only person to have professional issues with Chevy Chase. The director of the documentary revealed that almost nobody from the series Community wanted to be involved in the film, a fact which is potentially due to the dramatic way Chase left the show.
I think we can safely say that the feud between Chevy Chase and Terry Sweeney won’t be coming to an end as a result of this documentary film. While some of the discussion of Chase’s life in the new film puts his comments and behavior in a different perspective, perhaps making him more sympathetic, it certainly doesn’t appear that the Christmas Vacation star is looking to use the film to mend all fences.