Suzanne Chase, born Susan Hewitt in 1949, was the first wife of comedian Chevy Chase. She married him on February 23, 1973, three years before Saturday Night Live made him famous. Their marriage ended in divorce on February 1, 1976, and she has lived almost entirely outside public view ever since. This article lays out what is actually known about her life, her brief marriage, and why her story still draws attention nearly fifty years later.

Who Is Suzanne Chase (Susan Hewitt)?

Susan Hewitt took the name Suzanne Chase after marrying the comedian in 1973. Beyond her birth year and her connection to Chevy Chase, almost nothing about her background is documented. No childhood photos circulated. No former classmates ever spoke to reporters. No family members discussed her upbringing.

That absence of detail isn’t an accident of poor record-keeping. It reflects a deliberate choice she made and kept for decades, long before social media made privacy nearly impossible to maintain. She knew Chevy Chase before the world did, and she chose never to cash in on that connection.

Quick Profile

Age and Physical Attributes

Suzanne Chase turns roughly 77 in 2026, though her exact birthdate has never surfaced. No verified details exist about her height or appearance either. That gap matters less than it sounds — it shows how completely she stayed off the public record at a time when most people connected to celebrities eventually leave some trace.

How Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase First Met

Chevy Chase described their meeting himself in his biography, I’m Chevy Chase… and You’re Not, written with Rena Fruchter. He was 25, playing in a band called Chameleon Church. She was 19 and attended one of his concerts. It wasn’t his first serious relationship — he’d briefly dated future actress Blythe Danner while attending Bard College in the 1960s — but Suzanne was the one he ultimately married, in the period right before his career took off.

It wasn’t a film set or a Hollywood party. It was a regular night of live music, and two young people noticed each other. That detail rarely shows up in coverage of her story, but it matters: it places their relationship before Chevy Chase had any public identity to protect.

The 1973 Wedding and Marriage Timeline

The couple married on February 23, 1973, in New York City, in a small ceremony with close friends and family. Chevy had not yet joined SNL. Nobody at that wedding could have predicted what came next.

One detail from Chevy’s own biography rarely gets mentioned elsewhere. He wrote that Susan became pregnant during their relationship and agreed to end the pregnancy on the condition that he marry her. That account comes entirely from his side, recounted decades later in his memoir. Suzanne has never confirmed, denied, or discussed it, so it should be read as his recollection rather than a fact.

Key dates from their marriage:

• Wedding: February 23, 1973
• Location: New York City
• Length of marriage: Roughly three years
• Children: None
• Divorce finalized: February 1, 1976

Marriage to Chevy Chase (1973–1976)

For three years, Suzanne Chase stood beside a man transforming from an unknown performer into a rising comedy talent. She wasn’t part of that transformation publicly — she lived through it privately, while he built the career that would define his name.

Their personalities reportedly differed sharply. Chevy was loud and high-energy. Suzanne preferred quiet and routine. That contrast can work for some couples and strain others. In their case, it didn’t hold.

Suzanne Chase’s Role in Chevy Chase’s Early Journey

Being married to someone before they become famous means living through uncertainty most fans never see — financial instability, unclear career prospects, long stretches without recognition. Suzanne experienced that stage of Chevy’s life directly. She was never part of his public career, but she was part of the personal foundation that came before it.

Why Did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase Divorce?

The marriage ended on February 1, 1976, with no official reason announced at the time. Years later, in his biography, Chevy claimed Suzanne had an affair and left. His exact words: “She had an affair and simply left. That was the end of that.”

That’s the only account that exists, and it comes from Chevy alone, published decades after the fact. Suzanne has never responded to it, confirmed it, or offered her own version of events. One person’s memory has shaped the public understanding of why a marriage ended — which means readers should treat it as one side of a story, not a settled fact.

Suzanne Chase’s Acting Career and Film Roles

Suzanne Chase appeared in a small number of film credits, listed under her birth name, Susan Hewitt. Her known titles include Shake Well Before Using, A Trip Down Mammary Lane, and Amateur Lesbians 8 — all low-budget, non-mainstream productions from the 1970s into the early 1980s.

These weren’t studio films, and she was never represented by a major talent agency. Her acting work appears to have ended by the early 1980s, around the same time she fully disappeared from public records. It suggests a brief interest in entertainment that she chose not to pursue once her marriage ended.

Life After Divorce: Where Is Suzanne Chase Now?

No confirmed information exists about Suzanne Chase’s life after 1976. She gave no interviews, attended no public events, and left no professional or social media trail. Whether she remarried, had children, or changed her name again is simply unknown.

That total absence is unusual, even for private people. Most individuals connected to a major celebrity eventually surface somewhere — a memoir, an interview, a documentary appearance. Suzanne never did, across nearly five decades. That consistency says something: her privacy wasn’t a phase. It was a decision she kept for life.

Chevy Chase’s Other Marriages and Family Life

Chevy remarried quickly after his divorce from Suzanne. He married actress Jacqueline Carlin on December 4, 1976, but their courtship had already been complicated by her reluctance to relocate to New York while he was working on SNL — a tension Chevy later said factored into his decision to leave the show midway through its second season so the two could move to Los Angeles together. 

The marriage ended in divorce on November 14, 1980, after which Chevy spent time in the hospital and went through a difficult depressive period. He met his third wife, Jayni Luke, on the set of the 1981 film Under the Rainbow, where she worked as a production coordinator. They married on June 19, 1982, in Pacific Palisades, and Chevy later credited her with pulling him out of that low period.

Chevy and Jayni have three daughters: Cydney, Caley, and Emily Evelyn Chase. Their marriage has lasted more than 40 years, far longer than either of his first two.

Comparison of Chevy Chase’s Three Marriages

Chevy Chase’s Career and Life After Suzanne

After the divorce, Chevy joined Saturday Night Live and became one of its breakout stars through the Weekend Update segment. His film career followed quickly: Foul Play (1978), Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), and Fletch (1985). At his peak, he earned around $7 million per film and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993.

Chevy Chase’s 2026 Health and Documentary

In early 2026, a CNN documentary titled I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not revisited his career and personal life. It revealed that Chevy had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy — a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood and can lead to heart failure, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

He was placed in a medically induced coma for about eight days. His daughter Caley described the ordeal in the documentary, recalling that doctors warned the family they “might not get him back” and that he initially returned able only to use his voice. He recovered and went home to Jayni and his daughters. Jayni later told CNN that despite the hardship, their bond remains strong.

Why Suzanne Chase’s Story Still Draws Attention

Most people connected to a celebrity eventually surface somewhere — a memoir, a tell-all interview, a documentary cameo, or at minimum a social media account. That’s especially true now, when total privacy is nearly impossible to maintain. Suzanne Chase predates that pressure entirely. 

She made her choice in an era before digital footprints existed, then kept it for nearly fifty years straight through the rise of the internet, social media, and search itself. That’s what separates her from almost every other figure with a brief brush against fame: her silence wasn’t just decided once; it was maintained against decades of changing incentives to break it.

Conclusion

Suzanne Chase’s story is short on confirmed facts and long on restraint. She knew Chevy Chase before anyone else did, married him during his quiet years, and left without ever explaining why. That choice — to stay silent rather than seek attention — is the most defining thing about her. Nearly five decades later, it remains intact.

More Celebrity Profiles: Jan Ashley: The Untold Story of Robert Kardashian Sr.’s Ex-Wife 

FAQs

Who was Chevy Chase’s first wife?

Susan Hewitt, who became known as Suzanne Chase after their marriage on February 23, 1973. She was 19, and he was 25. They divorced on February 1, 1976, after roughly three years together.

How many times has Chevy Chase been married?

Three times: Suzanne Chase (1973–1976), Jacqueline Carlin (1976–1980), and Jayni Luke, whom he married in 1982 and remains married to. He has three daughters with Jayni.

Did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase have any children together?

No. They had no children during their marriage. Chevy had three daughters later with Jayni Luke.

Why did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase divorce?

Chevy claimed in his biography that Suzanne had an affair and left him. Suzanne has never confirmed or responded to this account, so only one side of the story is publicly known.

Is Suzanne Chase still alive?

It’s not publicly confirmed. She has stayed completely out of the public eye for nearly 50 years, with no interviews or records to verify her current status.

How old is Suzanne Chase now, and what is her real name?

Born in 1949, she would be 76 or 77 in 2026. Her real name is Susan Hewitt; she took the name Chase only after marrying Chevy.

Did Suzanne Chase have a career in acting?

Yes, briefly. She appeared in a few low-budget films — Shake Well Before Using, A Trip Down Mammary Lane, and Amateur Lesbians 8 — under her birth name, Susan Hewitt, before stepping away from acting entirely.

How did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase meet?

According to Chevy’s biography, they met at one of his band’s concerts. He was playing with Chameleon Church at age 25; she was 19. It was an ordinary meeting, long before either of them had any connection to fame.