Chevy Chase Reveals Harrowing Near-Death Experience and SNL Snub in New Documentary

Chevy Chase’s daughter, Caley Chase, is sharing details about her famous father’s serious health crisis in a forthcoming documentary.

“He essentially returned from the brink of death. He experienced heart failure,” Caley revealed in the new documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, according to Variety.

In 2021, reports surfaced indicating that the Saturday Night Live veteran was placed in a coma for approximately eight days following heart failure during the COVID-19 pandemic. He ultimately spent five weeks in the hospital due to unspecified cardiac problems.

“Something was amiss, and he was unable to articulate what it was,” Chevy’s wife, Jayni Chase, stated in the documentary, which premieres January 1 on CNN. “So, we went to the emergency room. His heart stopped. During those years of drinking, he developed cardiomyopathy — when the heart muscle weakens, and it struggles to pump sufficient blood with each beat.”

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Chevy’s longtime companion, Peter Aaron, also participated in the documentary, disclosing that the eight-day coma was “quite challenging” on the actor’s body.

“They opted to induce a coma for roughly eight days,” Aaron said. “That’s quite demanding on the body.”

Caley added, “The physician cautioned us: ‘We may not be able to bring him back. We’re uncertain about his level of awareness. Prepare yourselves for the worst.’ He awoke, and his only ability was to use his voice.”

Worried that her father might have been permanently changed by his illness and subsequent coma, Caley described the moment she realized her dad was still himself after a nurse entered his room to adjust some medical equipment.

“She said, “I’m going to need to put this over here,”” she explained. “And he responded, ‘That’s what she said.’”

In 2021, Chevy released a statement to the media after he was finally cleared to leave the hospital.

“I can only express how delighted I am to be reunited with my family,” the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation star said at the time. “I’m feeling well. I was hospitalized for five weeks. A heart issue. So, for now, I’m staying around the house. Not going anywhere.”

Chevy’s friend, Aaron, noted that it took some time for the actor to “regain his bearings” after the coma, adding that he experienced some “cognitive difficulties” and memory lapses.

“I believe his memory gaps stem from that incident,” Aaron told the cameras.

Chevy concurred, stating, “According to the doctors, my memory would be impaired by it. That’s what has occurred here.”

According to Variety, there are instances in the documentary where Chevy struggles to recall events from his time on SNL.

“Heart failure is what it is. I’m doing fine now,” Chevy said in the documentary, as reported by Variety. “It’s just that it impacts your memory, the doctors have informed me that. So, I need to be reminded of things.”

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As per the publication, Chevy also revealed his frank reaction to being left out of SNL’s milestone 50th anniversary celebration, which showcased numerous former cast members and hosts.

“It was somewhat upsetting, actually,” he told the documentary cameras. “This is probably the first time I’m mentioning it. But I anticipated that I would have been on stage as well with all the other performers. When Garret [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] took the stage, I was curious as to why I wasn’t. No one invited me. Why was I omitted?”

He continued, “I did bring it up once in a text to Lorne [Michaels] and then retracted it. I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly.’ But it’s not that silly. Someone has made a significant oversight there. I don’t know who it was, but someone made a mistake. They should have included me on that stage. It was hurtful.”