On New Year’s Day, CNN will air a personal documentary called I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not, featuring Chevy Chase himself. The film reveals the 82-year-old actor’s incredible recovery from a life-threatening health crisis where he fell into a coma due to respiratory issues, and was once thought to have passed away.
Chevy Chase is best known for his early success on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s and for playing Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon’s Vacation films. Though his departure from the sitcom Community was controversial, Chase faced a much more serious challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic: he suffered heart failure and spent five weeks in the hospital.
The new documentary, debuting January 1, 2026, features reflections on a difficult time from the comedian’s daughter, Caley Chase, his wife, Jayni Chase, and friend Peter Aaron.
Doctors Told Chase’s Family to Prepare for the Worst
Caley Chase reported that her husband had a remarkable recovery from heart failure. According to Variety, she described it as him ‘coming back from the dead.’ Jayni Chase also mentioned that his past alcohol consumption may have contributed to the health crisis.
He wasn’t feeling well, but he couldn’t tell me what was wrong, so we went to the emergency room. His heart stopped, and we later learned that years of drinking had weakened his heart muscle – a condition called cardiomyopathy – making it difficult for it to pump enough blood.
Chevy Chase was in a coma for about eight days, which Peter Aaron described as incredibly hard on the body. His daughter shared that doctors had warned their family he might not recover fully, and to prepare for the worst. When he finally woke up, he could only speak. Fortunately, his signature humor soon returned. His daughter recalled a nurse entering his room to adjust equipment, and Chevy Chase, true to form, quipped, “That’s what she said!”
Following a health scare, the two-time Academy Awards host (1987 and 1988) now struggles with memory loss. In a documentary, he explained that doctors believe the incident caused heart failure, which has impacted his memory. He says he’s doing well now, but needs reminders for things.
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The new Chevy Chase special, I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not, is debuting at a time when many people are already watching him – his movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a holiday tradition, having been a popular choice since it came out in 1989.
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2025-12-27 20:47