Chevy Chase’s First Wife: Susan Hewitt, Their Marriage, and His Relationship Timeline

Chevy Chase’s first wife was Susan Hewitt. They married in 1973 and divorced in 1976, before Chase reached the height of his fame through Saturday Night Live and his biggest movie roles. That is the direct answer many readers want, but the full story becomes clearer when his marriage timeline is explained properly, especially because some people confuse Susan Hewitt with his later wife Jacqueline Carlin.

Who Is Chevy Chase?

Chevy Chase is an American comedian, actor, and writer best known for becoming one of the breakout stars of the original Saturday Night Live. He later became a major film star through comedies such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Fletch, and Three Amigos!. For many people, he represents a very specific kind of dry, sarcastic comedy that shaped American entertainment in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Because his career lasted across several decades, interest in his personal life has remained strong too. Readers often search for his wives, his children, and the timeline of his relationships, especially when trying to separate his early life from the years when he became a household name.

Who Was Chevy Chase’s First Wife?

Chevy Chase’s first wife was Susan Hewitt, who is also referred to in some places as Susan Chase after the marriage. She is not as publicly known as some of the women later connected to his life, which is one reason her name is sometimes overlooked in quick celebrity summaries. But if the question is specifically about his first wife, Susan Hewitt is the correct answer.

That matters because people often mix up first wives with more famous former spouses. In Chevy Chase’s case, Susan Hewitt came before the actress Jacqueline Carlin and long before his later marriage to Jayni Luke. So if the goal is accuracy, Susan Hewitt belongs at the beginning of the story.

When Did Chevy Chase and Susan Hewitt Get Married?

Chevy Chase and Susan Hewitt married in 1973. Their marriage took place before Chase became one of the most recognizable comic performers in America. That timing is important because it places Susan Hewitt in the pre-fame chapter of his life rather than in the period when his public image was already established.

This gives the relationship a different context from the marriages that followed. Susan Hewitt was part of Chase’s life before the fame machine of television and film took over. That is often what readers are really asking when they look up a celebrity’s first spouse. They want to know who was there before the public success changed everything.

How Long Were They Married?

Chevy Chase and Susan Hewitt were married for only a few years. Their marriage ended in 1976, making it a relatively short chapter in his life. Even though it did not last long, it still matters historically because it was his first marriage and set the beginning of his public relationship timeline.

Short marriages are often the easiest parts of celebrity biographies to lose track of, especially when later relationships become more public or more dramatic. That is part of why Susan Hewitt’s name does not always come up first in general conversations about Chevy Chase’s wives. But in terms of sequence, she was the first.

Did Chevy Chase Have Children With Susan Hewitt?

There is no widely known public record showing that Chevy Chase and Susan Hewitt had children together. When people discuss Chevy Chase’s children, they are usually referring to the daughters from his later marriage to Jayni Luke rather than anything from his first marriage.

This is another reason the first marriage can fade into the background. Without children and without the same level of public attention as his later marriages, Susan Hewitt’s role in his biography is often mentioned briefly and then passed over. Still, she remains an important part of the full timeline.

Chevy Chase’s Later Marriages

After divorcing Susan Hewitt in 1976, Chevy Chase married actress Jacqueline Carlin later that same year. That second marriage lasted until 1980. Because Jacqueline Carlin had her own acting career and because the marriage happened closer to Chase’s rise in television and film, her name is often more familiar to entertainment readers.

Then, in 1982, Chevy Chase married Jayni Luke. She became his third wife, and that marriage lasted far longer than the first two. Together they had three daughters, and Jayni Luke is the wife most often associated with Chevy Chase’s long-term family life.

Why People Confuse Susan Hewitt With Jacqueline Carlin

One reason people get this topic wrong is that Jacqueline Carlin is the more recognizable ex-wife. She was an actress, and her marriage to Chevy Chase happened at a time when his fame was growing quickly. Because of that, some readers assume she must have been the first wife. But she was actually the second.

The confusion is also made worse by the way celebrity information gets repeated online. A later spouse can become more famous than an earlier one, and over time the first marriage fades from public memory. That seems to be exactly what happened with Susan Hewitt.

Chevy Chase Beyond the Marriage Timeline

Although people search for Chevy Chase’s first wife, his larger public story is still about comedy, television, and film. He became one of the most important early stars of Saturday Night Live and built a movie career that shaped American comedy for years. His marriages are part of his biography, but they are only one part of a much larger career story.

That broader perspective matters because relationship questions can easily reduce a public figure to a list of spouses. In Chase’s case, the marriage timeline may be interesting, but it sits alongside a long and influential entertainment career that made him famous in the first place.