Yvette Nicole Brown, known for her role as Shirley Bennett on NBC’s Community, has come forward with a statement after her name resurfaced in connection with former co-star Chevy Chase’s 2012 N-word scandal.
Her message, delivered through Instagram, arrived shortly after the release of the authorized documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not today (January 1), in which director Jay Chandrasekhar revisits the racial incident that ultimately resulted in Chase’s firing from the series.
For Brown, the renewed attention resurrected a painful chapter of the show’s history, making it clear that she does not appreciate others attempting to speak on her behalf.
“These are things I’ve never spoken of publicly and perhaps never will,” Brown wrote.
Yvette Nicole Brown responded to the release of Chevy Chase’s biographical documentary
Image credits: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images
“Anyone currently speaking FOR or ABOUT me with perceived authority is speaking without EVER speaking to me about the things they claim to know about,” she added.
“They actually don’t really know me at all.”
Much of the revived scrutiny centers on recollections from filmmaker Jay Chandrasekhar, a director known for Super Troopers who also helmed multiple episodes of Community, who detailed the events leading up to Chase’s firing.
Image credits: Raymond Hall/Getty Images
According to Chandrasekhar, tensions escalated during filming of a scene involving a “blackface” hand puppet for Chase’s character, Pierce Hawthorne.
In a moment of frustration, Chase used the N-word while complaining about the dialogue. The Hollywood Reporter later clarified that although both Brown and Donald Glover were present, “The slur was not directed at them.”
Image credits: NBC/Getty Images
Chandrasekhar stated that Chase then said something to Brown specifically, which caused her to walk off set.
Producers insisted that Chase apologize before she returned. Instead, Chandrasekhar said Chase attempted to justify himself by trying to pass off his remarks as humor.
Chase departed Community following season 4 amid tense relationships with the cast and director
After reporting of the “racial incident” leaked to the press, Chandrasekhar said Chase erupted in a breakdown so intense production had to be halted.
“Who f***ed me over? My career is ruined. I’m ruined,” he reportedly shouted before storming off set for good.
He never returned to filming and later departed the show following season 4, appearing only for a single episode in 2014.
The documentary also revisited Chase’s long troubled working relationship with Community creator Dan Harmon.
It culminated in a wrap party incident where, according to multiple accounts, Harmon encouraged attendees to shout “F*** you, Chevy.”
In response, Chase left Harmon a profanity filled voicemail that leaked publicly.
Image credits: Community
Chase’s daughter Caley also described how painful it was to witness that chant.
“I’m there, he’s showing his daughter, like, ‘This is the show I did,’ and we walk in to ‘F*** you, Chevy.’ That’s rough. And mean,” she said.
Brown dismissed the documentary as an exercise in what she described as “reputation rehabilitation”
Image credits: NBC
Brown has made clear that she will not take part in dissecting or reviving one of the ugliest moments in Community history.
“They also have no knowledge of my relationship with anyone I’ve worked with and cannot credibly speak on any current or previous issues,” she added, telling her fans interested in watching the documentary to take everything with a grain of salt.
“Beyond that truth, if I have something to say, I have NO problem saying it,” she continued.
Image credits: yvettenicolebrown/Instagram
“I’ve never had a problem speaking up and out with my whole chest when it is warranted or when I think it will change a wayward mind or some disgusting behavior.”
She concluded with a final warning to those who chose to take part in the documentary.
“They need to own fully what they alone have done without placing blame or looking for scapegoats,” she added. “Don’t smear any of that mess over here for clout or reputation rehabilitation.”
Chase did not mention Brown by name in I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, but the documentary’s choice to highlight the confrontation has dragged her into the spotlight all the same.
“I hate that this all had to be said,” she wrote. “I will not be saying another word about any of this mess.”
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