Sorry to break the bubble but you need to read "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live." This is how well Chevy is loved by the people he knows and worked with.
(Book Excerpt) Chevy Chase was banned from hosting the show (SNL) again after the February 15, 1997 episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney.
Note: In 1985, Chase suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which he plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week.Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and other episodes are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book.
Further Note: Although Chase was banned from hosting the show in 1997, he appeared on the 25th anniversary special in 1999, was interviewed for the 2005 special Live From New York.
Here's a review of his 2004 Celebrity (Friars) Roast.
Chevy Chase walked on stage and realized that almost none of his friends had shown up. He was led to a red overstuffed chair, where he blinked into the television cameras -- first stunned, then angry, then devastated -- as various basic-cable personalities and B-list comics marched to the podium and trashed him. Total strangers telling him that his movies were crap, his talk show was a comedy abortion, he had never been funny. Total strangers giggling about his addiction to drugs. There was no warmth in their comments. No real affection. Because after years of silence from Chase -- and hundreds of thousands of words written about his behavior during the late '70s and early '80s -- a consensus had emerged about the man. Everyone agreed without even having to think about it: Chevy Chase was a bastard.
He sat there in front of the world as it sank in for the first time. This was how he was remembered. This was his legacy. And when it was all over, he stood up, took a few bilious -- and dreadfully unfunny -- shots at his tormentors, and finally stared dead into the camera and uttered two words: ''That hurt.'' He fled the theater and went directly to his hotel room.
Paul Shaffer, the emcee of the roast, left the hall concerned and called Chase. Told him he was coming up to his room. Sat with Chase on the bed for hours, trying to figure out what had happened, why he was so loathed, what went so wrong. And then, finally, Shaffer told Chase what he needed to hear. ''Paul said, 'Chev, I could tell you were hurt. I could tell that. And I just want you to know that when you were on 'Saturday Night Live,' you were generous to a fault. To everybody. Everybody loved you.'''
Shaffer left and Chase sat by himself in the dark. Crushed.
The ugly truth is that a lot of people don't love Chevy Chase. They don't even like him. You hear it in their gently damning praise, off-the-record slams, pointed nonanswers, and firm no comments. This isn't really surprising, because apparently the man possesses a truly spectacular talent for pissing people off. And at the height of his success he wantonly torched bridges and offended friends, often without even knowing it.
Chevy Chase has made a career being spectacularly unfunny. The best thing he ever did was leave SNL and allow Bill Murray, who is the funniest survivor of the show, to get his chance.
Wow. I had no idea. I saw an interview with Dan Akroyd who spoke well of him, so I assumed that the sentiment was shared by the rest of the cast.