Chevy Chase Doesn’t Understand Why He Was Excluded From ‘Snl’ 50

It’s the holiday season! You’re supposed to open your heart to folks, even if they’re consistently massive jerks. ‘Tis the season! It’s not a time for regret and resentment. We should be happy we’re alive, and accepting what we like and love about those around us, even if they’ve spent most of their life trying to burn every bridge imaginable while crossing the line on several occasions, often in ways that are racist, we still… ummm… Okay, maybe there are a few exceptions.

Chief among them is Chevy Chase. I’m not of the age that I would have gone to see him in a movie in a theater, but I grew up watching Chase. The Vacation films got a regular rotation in my home. My dad went out of his way to make sure we saw the Richard Pryor/Chevy Chase job interview sketch from the early days of SNL. I was familiar with Chase, and to me, he was funny and nothing more. Then I got older and learned to read and, well, calling the failed talk-show host a prick would be generous.

What’s astounding about Chase is that there is rarely any remorse in discussing his past transgressions. He owns the fact that he’s a jerk. Which, credit where credit is due, I guess? Plenty of people are mean while pretending they’re caring. That ain’t Chase’s bag. That doesn’t mean he’s not delusional, though. The actor often speaks about Hollywood and how he should have a place in it. To him, he’s deserved more of a career based on his talent. That’s pretty detached from reality. Plenty of people are jerks and still have careers, but that’s because they know when to pretend, unlike Chase.

Not only does he not have a current place in Hollywood, but his former standing is more or less being taken away from him. For instance, the actor was not asked to perform at SNL’s 50th anniversary show, despite being one of the founding members. He discusses the snub in an upcoming documentary. “I expected that I would have been on that stage too, with all the other actors,” he said, according to LateNighter. “When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?” Really, Chevy? You don’t know why?

According to Lorne Michaels, Chevy was almost a part of the “Weekend Update” segment, but someone who Michaels wouldn’t name told him that Chase “wasn’t as focused.” That’s certainly a good enough reason not to put someone on camera in front of a live audience. Regardless, Chase did not take it well. “I did bring it up once in a text to Lorne, and then took it back. I said, ‘OK, I take it back. It’s silly,’” the former cast member explained. “But it’s not that silly. Somebody made a bad mistake there. I don’t know who it was, but somebody made a mistake. They should have had me on that stage. It hurt.”

It must be nice to live in a headspace that’s devoid of accepting responsibility for your actions. Chase has made life a living hell for people. If it were his usual nonsense about a spot he feels he deserves, I could at least understand it a little. But, I’m sorry, you’re upset because you got your feelings hurt, Chevy Chase? Cry me a river, bud.