Chevy Chase revealed a deep, personal side of his life in the new CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, titled after his SNL catchphrase. The 82-year-old detailed how his childhood was filled with physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother and stepfather.
Chevy Chase talks about suffering abuse from mother and stepfather as a child
Chevy Chase rose to fame in the mid-1970s and went on to have a brilliant career in comedy. However, before his stardom, he endured a tough childhood in New York. As detailed in his latest documentary, Chase had a problematic mother and stepfather.
“Not a lot of people knew about [the abuse],” the comedian-actor said, “Some did, and some came close. But it was my true life.” Chase’s biological father divorced his mother, whom he called an “out-of-control woman,” when he was only four.
The scars of this childhood stretched far as his career was plagued with depression, cocaine and alcohol addiction, and heart failure. He has also had a negative image in the industry for his frequent clashes with colleagues and co-workers.
The documentary explored this in detail and suggested that many of Chase’s issues stemmed from a twisted childhood. “My father had a flash anger, and he could lash out with a single blow and no talk before or after,” Chase’s half-brother, John Cederquist, said in the documentary. “He did not take to anything that he perceived as insolence. Chevy was insolent.”
Chevy Chase’s wife of 43 years, producer Jayni Chase, also recalled an incident from the early days of their relationship that gave a glimpse at how Chase’s childhood followed him. “The first time we stayed together, the first time I went to wake him up, he shuddered,” she said. “He explained, ‘Well, my mother would wake me up slapping me.’ From the time he was a little guy: Wham!”
Despite the challenges, Chase went on to enjoy a stellar career and will leave behind a great legacy.
I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not premieres on CNN on January 1, 2026.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
