Tracy Morgan, Paul Simon and other stars celebrate SNL50
The three-hour “SNL” 50th anniversary special featured nostalgic skits, including an Adam Sandler song that looked back on the show’s history.
Forty years after they clashed on the set of “Saturday Night Live,” Terry Sweeney is making his thoughts about “butt” Chevy Chase public.
Sweeney declined to participate in CNN’s upcoming documentary, “I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not,” which premiered on New Year’s Day, 8 PT, but he didn’t hesitate to share his thoughts about Chase in a recent online interview.
In 1985, Chase, a member of the sketch show’s original cast, returned as host. Sweeney, the show’s first openly gay cast member, said in the SNL oral history “Live from New York” that he was looking forward to the show because “Chevrolet was like a god to us.” But when Chase arrived, according to Sweeney, he was a “monster.”
According to testimony, Chase asked Sweeney to lick his testicles. he “insulted” everyone” Sweeney said on “Live from New York,” suggesting a sketch in which Sweeney has AIDS and weighs himself every week.
Chase laughed uncomfortably when he heard the joke in a CNN documentary. “That’s the worst,” he assessed, expressing hope that Sweeney was dead. “Because I don’t want you to talk to him about this.”
When a crew member offered to read “Live From New York,” Chase responded, “Oh, that’s great, thank you. It makes my day.”
Sweeney wrote in her book that Chase was asked to apologize, which made her “really furious.”
“None of that is true,” Chase insists. “What I remember is…that I was angry and that I had to apologize to him….My memory is that he’s lying, that’s my memory. He’s not telling the truth.”
It should be noted that Chase’s memory is affected by the heart failure he experienced in 2021. Documentary director Marina Zenovic told USA TODAY she believes Chase’s health issues played a role in his denial. “I think what happened with his memory loss plays a big role,” she says. “It’s like a circuit stopped and restarted, and some things were probably lost, especially things you don’t want to remember.”
But Sweeney is adamant that Chase is “an asshole,” as he told The Hollywood Reporter via instant message.
“It’s no surprise that everything reflects horribly on him!” Sweeney said, referring to Chase’s remarks. Sweeney also does not allow Chase to use the abuse he suffered as a child from his mother and stepfather (which is featured in the documentary) as an excuse for his actions.
“Boohoo…poor messed up kid…that’s why he’s so rotten!” Sweeney told the outlet. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Sweeney and Chase for comment.
