Chevy Chase, the 82-year-old founding SNL cast member, has been making headlines as of late due to his new CNN documentary. There have been a plethora of responses to some of the comments he makes within the doc, and they've ranged. Now, Chase is drawing fresh criticism after a clip from the production shows him lashing out at the film’s director. Fans are not holding back at what they see as the iconic funnyman being “insufferable.”
What Happened During Chevy Chase's Interaction With The Documentarian?
Said moment comes from I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, which is part of the 2026 TV schedule. The now-viral clip captures an early exchange between the actor and director Marina Zenovich and shows the Snow Day star quickly slipping into a dismissive, combative tone. After the footage was shared to TikTok, it spread rapidly across the platform and to others like X. Check out the clip below:
As can be seen above, Zenovich tells Chase she's "just trying to figure [him] out." From there, the ‘80s comedy star immediately responded with sarcasm, cutting her off before the discussion could go any further and saying, "no shit... it's not going to be easy for you." When Zenovich asks why, Chase simply says, "You're not bright enough... How's that?"
Zenovich could only respond with a stunned “woah,” but Chase wasn’t finished. Acknowledging the cameras, he continued, seemingly assuming the exchange wouldn’t make the final cut. He followed up with:
Well, you asked… I know you’re not gonna put that on the air, and I hope not. But my answer is, I’m complex, and I’m deep and I can be hurt easily. And I react spontaneously to people who want to figure me out, as it were. As somebody who will hold up my guard, I’m not gonna let anybody figure me out, per se.
The exchange, which the comedian seemingly assumed would never make the final cut, has instead become one of the most talked-about moments from the project. For many viewers, it reinforced long-circulating stories about the actor’s abrasive behavior behind the scenes. But how are fans reacting online?
Fans React To Chevy Chase’s Viral Documentary Clip
As expected, the online response was immediate, although somewhat divided. Social media users quickly piled on after the clip began circulating, many echoing the original poster’s blunt assessment: “I’m sorry but what an insufferable old goat.” As the clip spread on X, several reactions rose to the top, and here are some of the standout responses:
- @SouthDallasFood: “I’m sorry but what an insufferable old goat."
- @ChavuraStephen: “In fact, he’s totally correct. He’s tired of putting up with young midwits insulting him by assuming his mind is small enough to be comprehended by theirs. I’m with Chevy on this.”
- @mikepat711: “Calls the woman unintelligent before proceeding to show through his words and demeanor that he himself is definitely not a bright individual.”
- @_markfenner: “People for years said this man was an absolute asshole. I see that now lol”
- @sean_a_mcclure: “Just imagine how many idiots you need to put up with being in that industry. Can we really blame him?”
- @TheCriticalDri1: “People don’t randomly have their guard up this high. Hurtful stuff went down over many decades in Hollywood.”
- @SassySouthBlond: “Holy shit, old Chevy Chase might be my spirit animal. I might just be an ornery old man.”
- @Rahll: “I know you're not gonna put that on the air, and I hope not.” “His instant regret and weak bad pedaling in the form of trying to be an emotional smol bean is too good.”
- @CryptoBullRon: “He was honest”
- @heathenft: “he wanna be deep so bad”
- @courtstarr: “Apparently the director of Home Alone couldn’t work with Chevy Chase because he was such a dick”
- @DannyNoonanGolf: “I think he needs some new ball bearings.”
- @stealthlauncher: “That's why Bill Murray doesn't like him.”
- @womenoptionswin: “He thinks no one has him figured out and everyone did figure him out and didn’t like what they saw.”
The reaction ultimately splits into two clear camps. On one side, viewers see the clip as confirmation that the former Community actor crossed a line and, on the other, longtime fans are seemingly shrugging it off as vintage Chevy Chase, rough edges and all. Either way, the response has been loud and deeply divided, mirroring the uncomfortable, unpolished moment that set the whole conversation off.
You could argue the moment is taken out of context but, even with that in mind, the exchange still comes off as inappropriate. Viewers can judge for themselves by watching the documentary, which is currently available on demand through CNN for streaming and pay TV subscribers, and is expected to arrive to streaming for everyone with an HBO Max subscription on January 31.
