- - Chevy Chase says he was 'hurt' by “SNL” 50th anniversary special exclusion: 'Why was I left aside?'

Lauren HuffDecember 24, 2025 at 12:51 AM

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Chevy Chase speaks at the premiere of CNN Films' 'I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not'

When it comes to SNL50: The Anniversary Special, Chevy Chase is saying "bah humbug" this holiday season.

In CNN Films' upcoming documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, the actor and original Saturday Night Live cast member opens up about how his lack of involvement in the special earlier this year "hurt" him.

“Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,” Chase said. “This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But 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?”

Referring to the evening's "Weekend Update"-themed segment, he asked, "Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not? I don't have an answer for that."

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Chevy Chase during 'Weekend Update' in 1978

Chase, of course, served as the first-ever anchor of the segment back when he starred as a main cast member on SNL during its debut season in 1975 through the middle of the following season in 1976. He would go on to host eight times between 1978 and 1997, and make numerous guest appearances.

Referring to SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Chase said in the film of his exclusion: “I did bring it up once in a text to Lorne and then took it back. I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly.’ But it’s not that silly. Somebody’s made a bad mistake there. I don’t know who it was, but somebody made a mistake. They should’ve had me on that stage. It hurt.”

Though he wasn't a direct part of the SNL50 special, Chase did receive a brief shoutout from Jimmy Fallon during SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert, which occurred days before the main anniversary special. He also attended the taping of the special itself, he just didn't have an active role anywhere in it.

But, according to his wife, Jayni, Chase was supposed to have more of a part to play in it. She shared in the film, without naming names, that people "told Chevy up until that day that there were two bits, they were going back and forth."

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"And then, all of the sudden, 'No, there's no bit,'" she added.

Michaels himself seemingly confirmed this in the documentary, saying, "There were a couple versions of ['Weekend Update'] and we went back and forth on that. There was also a caution from somebody that I don't want to name that Chevy, you know, wasn't as focused."

Reps for SNL didn't immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment Tuesday.

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not premieres on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.

on Entertainment Weekly

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