Reflecting on the incident on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Chevy Chase also spoke about how he found out that John Belushi had died.
Earlier Saturday Night Live star Chevy Chase shared some new stories about fellow alum John Belushic, and among them was an allegation of stolen drugs. Chase and Belushi stand out for being two of the original seven cast members of the long-running sketch comedy series that continues to air new episodes to this day. The two were friends, although Chase says there was a situation where his Belushi stole his bottle of cocaine from him on the set of SNL.
Speaking with Bill Maher for the Club random podcast, Chase says he had some cocaine with him that he left on the piano he was playing. Almost directly in front of him, Belushi would have taken the Coke while Chase was focused on his hands. Chase suggests that Belushi denied this when confronted, but he was able to find out what happened shortly after.
“Anyway, I had it (cocaine) on the piano of the stage. So I just play the piano, the audience isn’t there yet, and it just sits. After I’ve played a little bit, it’s gone. I had no idea how. It was obvious I was looking at my hands the moment John ducked in and grabbed it. So I immediately said, ‘Belush, did you take my Coke?’ “No, what are you talking about?” So about a month later I’m invited to dinner at John and Judy’s apartment and I see my bottle empty and washed, just sitting on a shelf next to the books.’
Unfortunately, it has since become much clearer how badly Belushi struggled with substance abuse. The comedian died in 1982, when he was only 33 years old. In the interview with Maher, Chase also recalls finding out that Belushi had passed away, revealing how he and his wife were taken aback by what Maher called “media jackals” who came to his door seeking comment. Chase then compares the situation to John Candy’s passing, noting that those two losses had been particularly painful for him.
“And that morning Jayni, my wife and I were in our house and there was a knock on the door and I opened the door and there it was, it was like 12 news people. ‘Media jackals,’ well said. “What do you think of John’s death?” I didn’t know that John Belushi died. It just shocked me. There I was stuck with these people – ‘Can we get in Mr. Chase and take your clothes off?’ I do not know what. What a terrible thing. And when John Candy died. John Candy was not a drug user. Those were two of my best friends who died and I thought it was really terrible.”
The full conversation with Chase is currently streaming for Club Random with Bill Maher subscribers. The episode will be made widely available on Sunday, October 16.