Forever one of Saturday Night Live's most outspoken and divisive former cast members, Chevy Chase recently torched the NBC sketch series, trashing both its current comedy stylings as well as the fans who enjoy it. To be expected, the clapback comments that went public have been swift and largely critical, and in particular, SNL star Pete Davidson's repudiation of Chase is nearly as inflammatory as the latter's insults were. In Davidson's words:
He's a fucking douchebag. Fuck Chevy Chase...he's just a genuinely bad, racist person and I don't like him. He's a putz. What has he done since '83? Nothing. He had a big career and then it stopped because everybody realized he's a jerkoff. He should know more than anybody. It's disrespectful to Lorne, too, a guy who gave you a career. No matter how big you get, you can't forget what that guy did for you.
Understandably, Pete Davidson wasn't on Ellen or Today or any morning show where that kind of expletive-laden conversation is frowned upon. Rather, he made a guest appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where he also got into a big conversation about his current tabloid-friendly relationship with pop star Ariana Grande. But once the conversation came around to Saturday Night Live and the man widely been credited with turning it into a success, Pete Davidson did not mince words or feelings.
Now, it's not as if the 24-year-old SNL star is holding only Chevy Chase's most recent comments under a microscope when calling him a "fucking douchebag." As stated, Chase is as outspoken as they come, and he often speaks from a lofty position of comedic authority, making him ripe for others to critique accordingly. For instance, Chase claims he was only joking when he reportedly told former Community co-star Donald Glover that people thought he was funnier because he was black, a comment that cast more negative light on his already problematic stint on Community. (He also says he's a fan of Glover's, for what that's worth.)
Pete Davidson joined Taran Killam and others in rejecting Chevy Chase's opinions about SNL's comedy chops in the modern age. Perhaps Davidson was being a tad too dramatic in implying Chevy Chase hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1983, though. Can we at least make that '89, so that Christmas Vacation and Three Amigos can be lumped in with the other good stuff?
Going into Season 44, Saturday Night Live has promoted a few of its performers and added a new face, so we might not see any more casting changes before the new episodes, which start up on NBC on Saturday, September 29, at 11:30 p.m. ET. To see what other new and returning shows are coming around soon, head to our fall TV premiere schedule.
