Joel McHale Reflects On Physical Fights With Chevy Chase On The Set Of ‘Community’

Actor Joel McHale reflected on an altercation he had with his fellow Community co-star Chevy Chase that occurred on the set.

McHale, known for his main character role as Jeff Winger on the TV series, has been candid about disagreements that reportedly transpired between himself and Chase, who played the controversial offensive character Pierce Hawthorne. McHale even dedicated a chapter of his 2016 memoir, Thanks for the Money, to a “step-by-step on how to fight Chevy Chase.”

The topic arose in the podcast conversation when McHale highlighted his willingness to address the conflicts that arose with Chase while they were on the show. When asked about the nature of the incidents, McHale revealed that physical altercations did occur, with instances where one shoved or pushed the other. McHale described the confrontations as “advanced horseplay,” and humorously remarked, “You know, horseplay, and then it always turned into sex. It wasn’t fun.”

“It would get a little contentious,” he told the podcast Inside of You. “It would get to this point where I’m like, ‘Okay…’ I got in trouble one time because I injured him. I dislocated his shoulder.”

In the chapter in his book that discussed his experiences with Chase, McHale shared that the actor had never reached out to him about it. When asked if Chase was aware of his reputation, McHale responded, “I would think so,” and expressed his frustration with comments made by Chase when he appeared on Marc Maron‘s WTF podcast last year. In that interview, Chase admitted he didn’t think Community was “funny enough” and felt constrained by the sitcom.

In response, McHale stated, “Well, yeah the feeling is mutual about your attitude, and you didn’t have to be there.” He continued, “[Chase is] like, ‘I didn’t want to be around the table with those people.’ And like Gillian [Gillian Jacobs, fellow Community costar] would say, ‘[The] feeling’s mutual.’ –This was not a prison sentence. We were not conscripted into a war. You were being paid a lot of money and getting free food all day long, so you could just walk away.”

Community aired for six seasons, from 2009 to 2014, with Chase as a regular character in four of those seasons. He appeared as a guest in the fifth season and was absent from the final season entirely. Reports indicate that Chase had a tumultuous relationship not only with his co-stars but also with series creator Dan Harmon. After an incident where he reportedly used a slur on set in the production of season 4, Chase left the show by “mutual agreement.”

Chase said that “he doesn’t give a crap” about the allegations of misbehavior.