Chevy Chase, the iconic Saturday Night Live alum, has been vocal about his disappointment at not being involved in the milestone 50th-anniversary Saturday Night Live special, and those frustrations are laid bare in CNN’s recent documentary, I’m Chevy Chase, And You’re Not. But, while the former Community actor’s reaction has reignited long-running debates about his legacy and temperament, not everyone sees the decision as a slight. In fact, fellow castmate Martin Short offered a measured defense of why his absence may have been unavoidable.
Why Chevy Chase Felt Snubbed By SNL50
In the CNN documentary, Chase reflects on his relationship with Saturday Night Live and his exclusion from SNL50, the star-studded anniversary event celebrating the show's 50th anniversary. For the founding cast member and one of the original breakout stars, the omission clearly stung. Chase specifically said:
I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors. 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?
The film positions his frustration as part of a broader pattern, tying it to the long-documented tensions between the Fletch star and the SNL machine that have followed him for decades.
Martin Short Explains Why Not Everyone Could Be Included
Martin Short has deep ties to SNL history as a former castmate, and he's a former co-star to Chase. (The two starred together in The Three Amigos.) When discussing Chase's discontent Short framed the situation less as a personal snub and more as a logistical reality. In the documentary, Short notes just how impossible the anniversary celebration was to curate fairly, saying:
There’s 50 years of casts. Billy Crystal, no bigger star than Billy, he didn’t say a word that night. It’s just too many people to fill.
That comparison is telling. Billy Crystal could definitely be considered one of the most influential performers in Saturday Night Live history. He was already famous when he became a cast member for his one-year historic run. Yet even he took a backseat during the event.
Martin Short wasn’t dismissive of Chase’s contributions, but he did make a really good point. The show has featured over 160 people in its cast over its half-century run, with generations of main performers, writers and guest stars competing for limited airtime during its 50th celebration. Even Bill Hader, one of the most famous cast members in decades, didn't make an appearance.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels also addressed Chevy Chase’s perceived slight in the doc, offering a glimpse into the anniversary’s behind-the-scenes deliberations. According to Michaels, there were a couple of versions of the Weekend Update sketch, and some included the National Lampoons A-lister. As he explains:
And we went back and forth on that…There was also a caution from somebody that I don’t want to name that Chevy wasn’t as focused.
It’s a carefully worded statement, but one that fits the larger portrait the documentary presents. Chase’s reputation for being difficult didn’t emerge in a vacuum, and the film has only added to that “bad behavior” lore, especially after his cutting remarks toward the documentary’s director went viral. Michaels’ comments also suggest there were practical concerns at play, including worries about focus and memory tied to Chase’s health, which gave producers pause about placing the longtime comedian in such a prominent spotlight.
Chevy Chase Has A Complicated Legacy
Short and Michaels comments don’t erase Chevy Chase’s hurt, but they do add context. SNL50 wasn’t meant to judge any one performer’s legacy. It was an overcrowded celebration of a 50-year institution, shaped by limited time and competing histories.
That distinction, however, may offer little comfort to the 82-year-old Cops & Robberson performer. And, based on the ongoing reaction to I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, this chapter in his complicated relationship with Saturday Night Live is unlikely to be the final word. The documentary is currently available on demand through CNN, with a wider streaming release for everyone with an HBO Max subscription on January 31.
