According to Deadline, Chevy Chase (Caddyshack) has stated that Community wasn’t funny enough to him. In a recent episode of Mark Maron’s (The Bad Guys) WTF podcast, Chase further addressed his reasoning for leaving Community as well as the feud he had with series creator Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty). 

Chase said, “I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained. Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”

When asked about his character in the series, Pierce Hawthorne, he said, “I didn’t mind the character. I just felt that it was… I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much.”

According to Deadline, during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning in 2022, Chase addressed the allegations of him being a jerk during Saturday Night Live and his four-season run on Community. He ended up leaving Community due to conflicts with Harmon over the direction Chase’s character was heading. The character of Pierce Hawthorne through the series became more of an aging tycoon who many described as a bigot.  

Chase said, “I guess you’d have to ask them. I don’t give a crap! I am who I am. And I like where— who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care. And I’ve thought about that a lot. And I don’t know what to tell you, man. I just don’t care.”

According to Deadline, one of Chase’s most controversial outbursts on the set of the series was his use of the N-word while having a heated discussion with Harmon regarding his character. It was reported by Deadline at the time that the cast was very upset by the exchange. 

Chase said he hasn’t “seen him since” Harmon was dismissed from his role on the series in 2012, ahead of season four. Chase says, “I have no idea if we’re OK. I’ve never been not OK. He’s kind of a pisser.”