Jayni Chase: Who is Chevy Chase’s wife in real life?

Jayni Chase is an American Writer and the wife of Chevy Chase. Jayni Chase’s husband is a comedic actor best known for his appearances on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and his starring roles in the films Clark W. Griswold in five National Lampoon’s Vacation films, including Vacation (1983), Christmas Vacation (1989), and the 2015 reboot, ‘Caddyshack’ and ‘Fletch.’ He has also hosted the Academy Awards twice and briefly had his late-night talk show, The Chevy Chase Show (1993). After a string of box office failures, Chase’s career declined, eventually having a resurgence with his role as Pierce Hawthorne on the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2014).

Jayni Chase: Bio Summary

Who is Chevy Chase’s wife?

Jayni Chase was born on August 24, 1957, in  Los Angeles, California, United States of America. As of 2023, she is 66 years old. Jayni grew up in North Hollywood, California, with her parents and two sporting brothers, which inspired her to become a pentathlete, according to a September 1983 issue of PEOPLE.

Later, Jayni gave up on her sports career to take on communications at the University of California, Santa Barbara, after which she secured a jobs at NBC and on the set of Under the Rainbow where she met her husband Chevy Chase. Before the couple met, Chevy had been married twice.

The comedian married his first wife Susan Hewitt in New York City in 1973. They called their marriage a quit in 1976. His second marriage, to actress Jacqueline Carlin, was formalized on December 4, 1976, and ended in divorce on November 14, 1980. He didn’t have any children from his first two marriages.

ALSO, READ; Jacqueline Carlin: What happened to Chevy Chase’s ex-wife?

Jayni Chase initially rejected Chevy Chase

When Chevy expressed his interest in Jayni while working on Under the Rainbow, he revealed in a 2009 interview for PBS’ This Emotional Life that Jayni “couldn’t care less” about him per Rare‘s report.  Jayni confirmed saying, “He did have to pursue me because I really wasn’t wanting to be in a relationship.“. She continued- “There was some big guy coming into the production office flirting with me,” Jayni told PEOPLE in 1983.

Fastward, Chevy and Jayni Chase in Pacific Palisades on June 19, 1982. The couple’s marriage has been blessed with three children-  Caley Leigh Chase, Cydney Cathalene Chase, and Emily Evelyn Chase. The actor also has a son named Bryan from a previous relationship. Jayni and Chevy were initially “terrified” before having their first daughter per PEOPLE’s report.

ALSO, READ; Chevy Chase’s children: Bryan, Cydney, Caley, and Emily Chase

To overcome this, they read a lot of childcare books and took Lamaze childbirth lessons from Dustin Hoffman and his wife Lisa’s teacher “out of total fear.” “But when Cyd came out, and I saw it was a girl,” Chevy told PEOPLE, “I was in love immediately.

Chevy’s marriage to Jayni and the birth of his daughter made him consider some of the roles he takes in films- “Once I got married and had kids, I moved away from romantic roles because it seemed wrong to have my three-year-old wondering why Daddy was kissing someone else,” Chevy once told a reporter, per Yahoo! Entertainment. 

ALSO, READ; Suzanne Chase: Inside the Life of Chevy Chase’s ex-wife

Chevy Chase’s wife has rheumatoid arthritis

Jayni Chase has rheumatoid arthritis- she told Natural Awakenings. She was diagnosed in May 2015. She also told the magazine that she had surgery on both hands two years prior, as they had “essentially frozen stiff, making daily activities like brushing her teeth, dressing and cooking extremely difficult.”

Jayni revealed that one way she manages her rheumatoid arthritis is with CBD — a cannabidiol that does not cause a high — to which she was introduced by her daughter Emily after her surgery in 2017.  She even went on to co-found a CBD boutique in 2019 called The Pharm Stand.

ALSO, READ; Bryan Perkins: Who is  Chevy Chase’s son?

Jayni Chase is an Environmental activist

Jayni Chase is passionate about the environment and loves spreading the word about green issues. “The first step to solving any problems, from small to big and daunting, is awareness,” she told Westchester Magazine in June 2010.

Jayni continued, “Living ‘green’ is just how I have chosen to live my life, putting into action what I believe in. It’s not hard to be environmentally friendly. Once you understand that everything is connected, that each of our actions has consequences, and begin to view your everyday life in this way, the logic will emerge. If we can each do our part, making changes in our lives to lower our carbon footprint, we will make everyone’s lives better.” Jayni is also connected to nature by making honey.