Chevy Chase Tells Bill Maher That John Belushi Once Stole His Cocaine

Did Chevy Chase and the late John Belushi have a secret beef? The Saturday Night Live vet told Bill Maher that Belushi once stole his cocaine while on set of the late-night comedy show.

Both comedians were original key players in SNL, with Chase having recommended Belushi to show creator Lorne Michaels. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the National Lampoon actor opens up about their on-set experience on Sunday’s (Oct. 16) episode of Maher’s podcast, Club Random With Bill Maher.

“I’m just remembering John and his fucking drug problem but back then, the big drug was cocaine. Obviously John turned out to be [a] coke head but I had a little jar of cocaine with a little spoon that hung from it,” said Chase.

He continued, “Anyway, I had it on the piano of the stage. So I’m just playing the piano, the crowd isn’t in yet, and it’s just sitting. After I played just a little bit, it’s gone. I had no idea how. Obviously I was looking at my hands at the moment that John swooped in and took it. So I immediately said, ‘Belushi, did you take my coke?’ ‘No, what are you talking about?’” Chase alleged that he found the empty vial on Belushi’s bookshelf, after being invited over for dinner with Belushi and his wife, Judith.

The podcast conversation took a serious detour when the comedian mentioned finding out about Belushi’s death from a drug overdose in 1982. He said, “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 was, it seemed like 12 news people [asking] ‘How do you feel about the death of John?’”

At the time, Chase wasn’t aware that the actor – whom he later calls his “best friend” – had died. “It just shocked me. There I was stuck with these people.… What a horrible thing.”

Chase got his big break on SNL in 1975 and was the first anchor of the popular “Weekend Update” segment. Over the years, he has frequently hosted and cameoed on the series and remains in touch with Michaels, who defended Chase when his racist and unprofessional behavior was exposed by his Community co-star Donald Glover, creator Dan Harmon, and others throughout his career (including American’s sweetheart Pete Davidson).

Michaels told The Washington Post in 2018, ““Chevy does shock stuff, which is maybe more forgivable in a 25-year-old or 30-year-old than in a 50-year-old or 60-year -old.”

Chevy’s Chase episode of Club Random With Bill Maher is currently available to subscribers and will be released to the public on October 16, 2022.