Chevy Chase Leaves 'Community' After 4 Tense Years

If Community is to return for a fifth season next year, it will do so without Chevy Chase, 69. The actor is leaving after a difficult four years on the show. Chase made news earlier this year when he and then-showrunner Dan Harmon had a very public feud. It began when Harmon reportedly gave a dressing down to Chase at the season three wrap party. Harmon did this in front of Chase’s wife and daughter. Chase responded by leaving an angry voicemail message on Harmon’s phone allegedly saying, “Your writing is getting worse and worse.”

In the past, Chase has been very critical of the show. Chase took shots at the writing and even the cast. “The hours are hideous, and it's still a sitcom on television, which is probably the lowest form of television," he told Huffington Post UK. "That's my feeling about it. I think the reason I have stuck around is because I love these kids, the cast — they are very good. It's not like I am working with the great innovators of all time, but at the same time, they are my friends.”

Production stopped on the show last month when Chase delivered a rant about his character and allegedly using the N-word. New showrunner David Guarascio believed he would be able to work better with Chase, than his predecessor Harmon did. “The truth is we’ve had a very easy working relationship with Chevy, maybe just because it was so volatile before, there’s no fight left,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

The fourth season premiere of Community is scheduled for Feb. 7 on NBC.