Suzanne Chase, born Susan Hewitt in 1949, was the first wife of Chevy Chase. She married the future comedy legend in 1973, before Saturday Night Live, Caddyshack, or the Vacation movies turned him into a household name.
She divorced him in 1976 and quietly moved away from all cameras, interviews, and headlines. This article tells all that is publicly known about her: who she was, how they met, why their marriage did not work out, and where she is now.
Suzanne Chase: Rapid Facts
| Field | Detail |
| Full Real Name | Susan Hewitt (or Suzanne Chase) |
| Born | 1949, United States |
| Age (2026) | Approximately 76–77 years old |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Previously, Actress (smaller movies) |
| Net Worth | Not publicly known |
| Married | Chevy Chase (February 23, 1973 – February 1, 1976) |
| Children | No offspring from this marriage |
| Social Media | None (completely private) |
| Current Status | Location unknown, thought to be alive |
Who Is Suzanne Chase?
Suzanne Chase is an American woman whose real name is Susan Hewitt. She was born in the United States in 1949. She is mostly recognized for one thing, and that is being the first wife of comedian and actor Chevy Chase.
Practically nothing about her early life is part of the public record. She has not shared information about her parents, hometown, or childhood. No interviews, no old photographs, no official statements. This is a remarkable level of privacy, particularly for someone connected to a high-profile celebrity.
In 2026, decades after their breakup, her name continues to come up in internet searches. People want to know about the woman who knew Chevy Chase before the rest of the world did.
How Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase First Met
This is among the details that many articles leave out. How the two met was shared by Chevy Chase himself in his biography, I’m Chevy Chase… and You’re Not by Rena Fruchter. They met when he was 25 and she was 19, after she attended one of his band concerts.
Chevy was playing with his band, Chameleon Church, a rock group he had joined before becoming a full-time comedian. It was not a Hollywood party or a film set, it was a live music show. Just two young people at a concert.
She met him before the fame, before the cameras, when he was just a guy playing music. It is that small, human detail that most articles about Suzanne Chase leave out.
Their relationship grew from that first meeting. At that point in his life, Chevy Chase was not yet a star. He was a young, ambitious man still finding his way. Suzanne, barely out of her teens, joined him on that journey.
The 1973 Marriage and What Led to It
Chevy Chase and Suzanne (Susan Hewitt) got married on February 23, 1973, in New York City. It was an intimate ceremony attended by close friends and family.
One important piece of context, found in Chevy’s biography, is something most articles fail to mention. Chase recounts that when Susan became pregnant during their relationship, she agreed to end the pregnancy on the condition that he would marry her. According to his own words, this is what led to the timing of the marriage.
- Wedding date: February 23, 1973
- Place: New York City
- Length of marriage: Approximately 3 years
- Children together: None
- Divorce date: February 1, 1976
It should be noted that all of this comes from Chevy Chase’s biography. Suzanne has never confirmed or denied any of it. Her side of the story has never been heard.
Why Did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase Divorce?
After about three years, their marriage ended on February 1, 1976. No official reason was publicly announced at the time.
Years later, in his biography, Chevy Chase wrote that Suzanne had cheated on him. He stated that she had an affair and simply left the marriage.
Suzanne Chase has never spoken about the divorce. She has not given interviews, has not responded to Chevy’s account, and has not shared her perspective. This silence has lasted nearly 50 years.
The biography reflects one person’s memory of the marriage. Only Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase truly know what happened between them.
Chevy Chase’s Marriage Timeline: All Three Wives
To understand Suzanne Chase’s place in the full picture, here is a comparison of all three of Chevy’s marriages:
| Wife | Married | Divorced | Duration | Children |
| Susan Hewitt (Suzanne Chase) | Feb 23, 1973 | Feb 1, 1976 | ~3 years | None |
| Jacqueline Carlin | Dec 4, 1976 | Nov 14, 1980 | ~4 years | None |
| Jayni Luke Chase | June 19, 1982 | Still married | 44+ years | 3 daughters |
Suzanne was the first. Jacqueline Carlin came next, and Chevy married her the same year his divorce from Suzanne was finalized. Carlin was an actress who appeared on SNL, but they divorced in 1980, and she passed away from cancer in 2021. His third and longest-lasting marriage has been to Jayni Luke Chase. They met on a movie set in 1981 and have been together for over 40 years.
Suzanne Chase’s Acting Career
Suzanne Chase did appear in a few film projects. Although she never had a mainstream Hollywood career, her name appears in film credits under the name Susan Hewitt. These were small, low-profile productions from the 1970s and early 1980s, and none of them brought her any real public attention.
Key details about her acting work:
- She appeared in a few movies during the 1970s
- All her roles were in smaller, non-studio productions
- She stopped acting after the early 1980s
- She was never publicly represented by a major Hollywood talent agency
- Her IMDb presence is minimal and not widely referenced
Her brief acting career suggests she had some interest in the entertainment world, but she never pursued it the way Chevy did. Her path went in an entirely different direction.
Where Is Suzanne Chase Now? (2026 Update)
This is the question most people are asking. The honest answer is that no one in the public sphere knows.
Since the divorce in 1976, Suzanne Chase has disappeared from all public records. No interviews. No social media. No news mentions. No professional listings. She may have changed her name, moved to another state, or simply chosen to live a private life far removed from the entertainment world that briefly touched hers.
- Social media presence: None found
- Public interviews: Zero, in nearly 50 years
- Marital status: Unknown, no known second marriage
- Children after the divorce: Not publicly known
- Current location: Believed to be somewhere in the USA, unverified
- Alive in 2026: Believed to be alive, but unverified
Her choice to stay private has held for 50 years. Whatever she has built after 1976, she has kept it entirely to herself. That alone is a remarkable thing.
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Chevy Chase in 2026: His Health and Career
While Suzanne stayed silent, Chevy Chase remained in the spotlight. After the divorce in 1976, he joined Saturday Night Live and became one of its original breakout stars. His Weekend Update segment, where he opened with the line “I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not,” became a classic of American television.
Through the 1980s, his film career included Foul Play (1978), Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), and Fletch (1985). In 1993, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, along with two Primetime Emmy Awards.
In early 2026, a CNN documentary titled I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not revisited his life and career. The documentary also brought difficult health news to light: Chevy had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, and his heart had failed. He was placed in a medically-induced coma for about eight days. His family feared the worst, but he recovered and came home to his wife and daughters.
In January 2026, his third wife Jayni told CNN that despite the difficult times they had been through, they remain deeply in love. Their three daughters, Cydney, Caley, and Emily, stood by him throughout the health crisis. Emily has said that her father has a very big heart and has always put his family first.
Final Thoughts
The story of Suzanne Chase is short on facts and long on mystery. She was a 19-year-old girl who fell for a young musician and comedian. She married him in 1973. By 1976, it was over. And then she stepped away from public life so completely that almost no one has been able to find her since.
What makes her story interesting is not the drama. It is the choice. She chose privacy over proximity to fame. She chose silence over telling her side of the story. In a world where anyone connected to a celebrity can find their fifteen minutes, she never took that opportunity, not once, in nearly 50 years.
That is what defines Suzanne Chase. Not the divorce, not the marriage, not the rumors. The most remarkable thing about her is simply that she chose to live her own life, quietly, entirely on her own terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Suzanne Chase’s real name?
Her real name is Susan Hewitt. She took the name Suzanne Chase when she married Chevy Chase in 1973. After the divorce, she returned to a private life, and no one can say with certainty what name she goes by today.
How did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase meet?
According to Chevy Chase’s biography, the two met at one of his concerts. Chevy was 25 at the time and playing with his band, Chameleon Church. She was 19. It was an ordinary, pre-fame situation that eventually led to their marriage.
Why did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase divorce?
In his biography, Chevy wrote that Suzanne had an affair and left the marriage. She has never publicly responded to or confirmed this account. Their divorce was finalized on February 1, 1976, after approximately three years of marriage.
Did Suzanne Chase and Chevy Chase have children?
No. The couple had no children together. Chevy later had three daughters, Cydney, Caley, and Emily, with his third wife Jayni Luke Chase.
How old is Suzanne Chase in 2026?
Born in 1949, Suzanne Chase would be approximately 76 to 77 years old in 2026. Her exact date of birth has never been publicly confirmed.
What happened to Suzanne Chase?
Her life and whereabouts remain completely unknown. She has maintained nearly 50 years of total privacy since her divorce from Chevy Chase in 1976. No social media profiles, public appearances, or interviews have been found. She is believed to be alive and living privately somewhere in the United States.
Is Chase Suzanne’s birth name?
No. She married Chase. Her maiden name was Hewitt. Chevy Chase’s own last name, Chase, is actually a nickname given to him as a boy by his grandmother, taken from the English ballad The Ballad of Chevy Chase.
