Suzanne Chase is a name that often appears in searches about comedian and actor Chevy Chase, particularly when people want to learn about the woman who was married to him before his Hollywood career reached its biggest heights. Known in reputable sources as Susan Hewitt, she was Chevy Chase’s first wife, and their marriage lasted from 1973 until 1976. Unlike her famous former husband, Suzanne has largely stayed away from the public eye, leaving many parts of her personal life undocumented.
That privacy is one reason information about Suzanne Chase can be confusing online. Various websites repeat details about her background, career, age, and life after divorce, but not all of those claims can be independently confirmed. The clearest information comes from records and established entertainment sources that identify Susan Hewitt as Chevy Chase’s first wife.
Who Is Suzanne Chase?
Suzanne Chase is primarily known to the public because of her relationship with Chevy Chase. Major sources identify her as Susan Hewitt, while entertainment coverage has also used the names Suzanne Hewitt and Suzanne Chase. IMDb, for example, lists Susan Hewitt as Chevy Chase’s first wife and identifies her in connection with the documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not.
Unlike Chevy Chase, Suzanne did not pursue a long public career that kept her regularly in newspapers, television interviews, or Hollywood coverage. As a result, there is relatively little dependable information about her independent life. That makes her story quite different from those of many celebrity spouses whose careers or public appearances continued after their marriages ended.
Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase’s Marriage
Chevy Chase married Susan Hewitt in New York City on February 23, 1973. At that point, Chase was still in the early stages of the entertainment career that would eventually make him one of America’s best-known comedians. The marriage came before his major breakthrough on Saturday Night Live, which began in 1975.
Their marriage therefore belongs to an important period in Chase’s personal history. He was moving from smaller entertainment projects toward national recognition, while his personal life was also changing rapidly. Their relationship lasted for roughly three years before coming to an end.
Because Suzanne has not publicly offered extensive interviews about the marriage, much of what is written about their relationship comes from later accounts of Chevy Chase’s life rather than from Suzanne herself. That is an important distinction when discussing their marriage.
When Did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase Divorce?
The marriage officially ended on February 1, 1976, making the relationship just under three years long. Chevy Chase’s documented marriage history confirms both the February 1973 wedding and the February 1976 divorce.
The divorce occurred shortly after Chase’s breakthrough on Saturday Night Live. His career was beginning to move at an extraordinary pace, and by this stage he had become one of the show’s recognizable performers. Later that same year, he married actress Jacqueline Carlin, his second wife.
The timing sometimes leads people to connect the divorce directly with Chase’s sudden fame, but there is not enough reliable public evidence to make that conclusion. Suzanne herself has remained notably silent about the details.
What Happened Between Suzanne and Chevy Chase?
The exact story behind the breakup is difficult to establish from Suzanne’s perspective because she has not publicly discussed it in detail. According to later accounts of Chevy Chase’s life, Chase described infidelity as the reason the marriage ended. That account is attributed to Chase and should not be treated as Suzanne’s own version of events.
This is an important point when researching Suzanne Chase. There are many online articles that present personal details as established facts, even though Suzanne has never publicly confirmed them. A more careful approach is to distinguish between what Chase reportedly said and what Suzanne herself has said.
The available record supports the fact of the marriage and divorce, but it provides much less information about Suzanne’s private feelings or experiences during that period.
Did Suzanne Chase Have Children With Chevy Chase?
There are no publicly documented children from the marriage between Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase in the reliable biographical sources reviewed for this article. IMDb’s family information lists Chase’s three daughters with his third wife, Jayni Chase, rather than children from his first marriage.
Chevy Chase later married Jayni Luke in 1982, and the couple have three daughters: Cydney, Caley, and Emily. That family is the part of Chase’s personal life most frequently covered in modern celebrity biographies.
Suzanne Chase’s Life Away From the Spotlight
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Suzanne Chase is how little she has sought publicity. After her divorce from Chevy Chase, she did not become a regular presence in celebrity media. There is no extensive public record documenting her day-to-day life, later relationships, or current activities.
That privacy appears to have continued for decades. Modern coverage of Chevy Chase’s marriages continues to mention Suzanne because of her place in his early personal history, but she has not built a public identity around being his former spouse. Recent coverage also notes that she has never publicly discussed the marriage in the way many celebrity ex-spouses do.
It is tempting for online biographies to fill these gaps with details about where she lives, what she does today, or what her life has been like since the divorce. However, much of that information is not independently verified. For that reason, claims about Suzanne’s present-day life should be treated cautiously.
Was Suzanne Chase an Actress?
There is some additional confusion surrounding Suzanne Chase’s professional background. IMDb has a profile for Susan Hewitt, but the available information is limited. More importantly, a 2025 documentary about Chevy Chase includes Susan Hewitt as his first wife through archive footage, confirming the connection between the name and Chase’s first marriage.
Some websites attribute various acting credits to a woman named Susan Hewitt or Suzanne Chase. However, without stronger documentation linking every individual credit to Chevy Chase’s former wife, those claims should not automatically be presented as established facts.
This is a good example of why researching a private person requires more care than simply copying information from multiple biography websites. Similar names can easily lead to incorrect identities or recycled claims.
How Suzanne Chase Fits Into Chevy Chase’s Story
Suzanne Chase’s importance in Chevy Chase’s biography comes largely from the timing of their marriage. She was his wife before Saturday Night Live turned him into a household name. Chase joined the original cast of the NBC comedy show in 1975, and his deadpan delivery and physical comedy quickly helped establish his public persona.
By the time his first marriage ended in early 1976, Chase’s professional life had already changed dramatically. His subsequent marriage to Jacqueline Carlin lasted until 1980, followed by his marriage to Jayni Luke in 1982. Jayni became his longest-lasting spouse, and they have three daughters together.
Seen in that context, Suzanne represents an earlier chapter of Chase’s life — the period before his fame reached its peak.
Why Is There So Little Information About Suzanne Chase?
The simplest explanation is that Suzanne Chase appears to have chosen privacy. Not every person connected to a famous entertainer wants to become a celebrity themselves. While Chevy Chase’s career produced decades of interviews, movies, television appearances, and biographies, Suzanne’s life remained largely outside that media cycle.
Her lack of public interviews also means there is no substantial first-person account of her marriage to Chase. This makes verified dates and documented relationships much easier to establish than details about her personality, career, or life after divorce.
For readers researching Suzanne Chase, that distinction is valuable. A biography does not become more accurate simply because it contains more details. In this case, acknowledging what is unknown is more responsible than presenting speculation as fact.
Conclusion
Suzanne Chase remains a relatively mysterious figure in the story of Chevy Chase. Identified in major sources as Susan Hewitt, she married Chase on February 23, 1973, and their marriage ended in divorce on February 1, 1976. Their relationship took place just before and during the early stages of Chase’s rise to national fame through Saturday Night Live.
While Chevy Chase went on to build a decades-long career in comedy and film, Suzanne largely stepped away from public attention. Her decision to maintain privacy means that many details about her later life remain unknown, and readers should be cautious about unsupported claims circulating online.
Ultimately, Suzanne Chase’s story is not simply about being Chevy Chase’s ex-wife. It is also an example of how someone can briefly become connected to a major celebrity and then choose to live a life far removed from the spotlight.
