Community

"Community" star Joel McHale says he's being unfairly portrayed as a Season 4 HATER (even though everyone knows it sucked) ... telling TMZ he NEVER ripped the show in public.

McHale was on his way to shop for fancy kitchen supplies in L.A. Wednesday when we asked about a recent article that implied Joel thought the show was a disaster during the one season creator Dan Harmon wasn't at the helm.

(In fairness to the article, Season 4 WAS a disaster ... and everyone knows it).

But Joel says the story just ain't true ... and the quotes that painted Joel as a smack-talker were "taken out of context."

There is one positive ... Joel says he's pumped for the show to return in 2014 ... and insists it'll be more popular than the critically-panned-yet-strongly-rated "Sound of Music Live" spectacle.

He's baaaaaaaaack!!!

Dan Harmon, the creator of "Community" who was unceremoniously dumped from the show last year, is finalizing his deal to return to the show, so says The Hollywood Reporter. THR says the deal should be closed in the coming days.

Harmon's return has been rumored for the last week, and he tweeted earlier today, "Yes yes yes! I'm back I'm back I'm back. You can thank @joelmchale" in response to a fan's question.

He also tweeted earlier several times about the gloriousness of a certain airport bar, so take that for what it's worth.

Chevy Chase's "Community" college days are OVER ... the actor has struck a deal to leave the NBC sitcom ... effective immediately.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chase didn't quit ... nor was he fired ... but it was a "mutual decision" between the actor and producers.

FYI -- producers have already shot the majority of the upcoming season ... and Chase will remain in those episodes. It's unclear if Chase's exit will be explained on the show ... or if it will simply go on as if Pierce Hawthorne never existed.

Chevy Chase had another verbal outburst on the set of "Community" yesterday during filming, this time dropping the N-word during a rant about the direction of the show.

Sources on set tell TMZ ... Chase was complaining about the direction of his character, who he feels has grown increasingly bigoted as the years have gone on. We're told Chase was becoming uncomfortable with the material and was frustrated that his previous conversations about the writing had seemingly gone ignored.

According to our sources, Chase got so heated while discussing his character, he yelled out something along the lines of ... What's next? Am I gonna say the word ni**er?

We're told Chase apologized to the cast and crew for the comment, which was not directed at anyone in particular, certainly not the show's African-American cast members, Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown.

Our sources say production was not halted at any point.

A rep for NBC had no comment.

"Community" creator Dan Harmon's firing from his own show came shortly after his very public view with Chevy Chase -- but fellow cast member Jim Rash says one thing has nothing to do with the other.

Our photog caught up with Rash -- who plays Dean Pelton on the show and won an Oscar earlier this year for co-writing "The Descendants" -- outside a theater in Hollywood last night. He told us that the cast "couldn't love him more" and the decision to not re-new Harmon's contract was totally out of their hands.

It's not the darkest timeline for "Community" fans, but it's close -- creator Dan Harmon is out as showrunner after Sony Pictures Television opted not to renew his contract.

Sony had clashed with Harmon for quite sometime, reports Vulture, so the news did not come as a total shock. Harmon's most publicized dust-up was with one of the show's stars, Chevy Chase, which included Harmon playing an obscenity-laced voicemail Chase had left for him to a room full of people.

Harmon blogged last night that he learned the news the same way everyone else did, via press release. In fact, Harmon said he hasn't even so much as spoken to Sony since NBC renewed the show for a fourth season last week.

He wrote, "Do not believe anyone that tells you on Monday that I quit or diminished my role so I could spend more time with my loved ones, or that I negotiated and we couldn’t come to an agreement, etc. It couldn’t be less true because, just to make this clear, literally nobody called me."

Chevy Chase tells TMZ ... cussing out "Community" creator Dan Harmon over voice mail was "the right thing to do ... at the time."

Chase was leaving the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood last night ... when we asked about the feud with his TV boss.

When we mentioned Dan's name, Chevy quipped, "Who's that?" He later added, "I don't know who you're talking about ... I really don't."

Eventually, Chase did address the voice mail attack ... telling us, "I think that was the WRONG thing to say at the time ... NO, it was the RIGHT thing to say ... at the time."

Chase later said the situation had "been handled" ... adding, "I don't have anything to say about this stuff ... we got comedy to make."

"Community" creator Dan Harmon says he's a "selfish baby and a rude a**hole" for playing Chevy Chase's voice mail in public ... and has issued a full-fledged apology calling the move, "childish, self-obsessed, unaware, naive and unprofessional."

Harmon just posted a statement on his blog titled, "Not That It Helps, But:" ... in which he admits to playing the tape for an audience of 150 strangers at an L.A. comedy club ... because he thought it would be funny.

"I was airing my dirty laundry for a chuckle."

But Harmon says he deeply regrets his decision ... explaining, "The giant mistake I made was involving someone else [Chevy] in that game of Russian roulette, someone that didn’t have an opportunity to say 'yeah, hilarious, let’s do this.'"

Harmon continues, "That was a dumb, unclassy, inconsiderate move on my part. I’m very sorry it’s reflecting poorly on the show.

Harmon says he's been paying attention to all of the critics who have been bashing him on Twitter ... and says, "Thirty people a day calling me an a**hole makes me know and feel, in my heart, that I am an a**hole. I’m a real “customer is always right” kind of guy in that regard."

TMZ has obtained an audio recording of "Community" creator Dan Harmon discussing the Chevy Chase voice mail moments before playing the tape for an audience at a recent comedy event ... in which Harmon calls Chase an "A-hole" who was probably DRUNK when he made the call.

Harmon played the tape at an event called "Harmontown" -- a monthly comedy event he hosts at an L.A. comedy club.

Sources tell us ... while on stage, Harmon vented about Chevy's alleged tantrum during the taping of the season finale of Community ... explaining, "I had written a very simple scene that Chevy couldn't possibly f**k up."

We're told Chase objected to the scene ... but Harmon says he stuck to his guns because he had an emotional attachment to the material.

Chevy walked off the set ... but according to Harmon, Chase eventually sent Dan a text message in an effort to smooth things over.

Harmon didn't accept the apology ... telling the Harmontown crowd, "I said f**k you ... you breached your contract, you're an a**hole."

Harmon continued, "And then what happened a day later? That night ... after what I'm guessing is two bottles of Beaujolais? Ladies and gentleman ... Chevy Chase." Harmon then played the entire voice mail for the crowd.

Among the new soundbites ... Chase tells Harmon, "If you were here now, I'd f**king kick your teeth out." He adds, "You're not funny ... you're OK."

Chevy Chase is getting support from several staff members at "Community" ... who tell TMZ there are a bunch of people at the show who feel the actor was UNFAIRLY attacked by show creator Dan Harmon.

As we previously reported, Chase recently left a scathing voice mail for Harmon after the producer led a "F**k Chevy" chant at the season wrap party.

Now, sources who work on the show tell us ... "What Dan Harmon did was f**ked up ... Chevy is a pleasure to work with."

We're told ... many people on set feel the "dispute" that took place between the two men during the taping of the season finale was blown out of proportion by Harmon ... because Chevy was "very respectful."

Here's how we're being told it all went down -- Chevy had an issue with one of the scenes and asked for a rewrite. We're told Chevy was very calm and polite ... but told producers he would "respectfully decline" to participate in the scene unless a change was made.

Producers shot down Chevy's request ... and he quietly left the set without incident.

Our sources tell us they felt the issue had been handled privately because Chevy showed up at the wrap party ... and everyone was shocked when Harmon grabbed the mic and unloaded on the actor.

One source tells us, "What Dan did was embarassing and left a sour taste in all of our mouths ... so low class."

The source adds, "The staff was not pissed at Chevy ... we're pissed at Dan. We all hope Chevy comes back next season."

"Community" star Chevy Chase BLASTED the show's creator on a SCATHING voice mail for the guy ... telling Dan Harmon he's a "g*dd*mn a-hole" who sucks at writing.

The voice mail is FEROCIOUS ... and according to reports, it's the boiling point in a raging feud that's been going on behind the scenes of the show for months.

During the voice mail, Chase calls Harmon a "g*dd*mn bad writer ... s**t ... stink-o" ... and adds, "Your writing is getting worse and worse."

He also calls Harmon a "fat f**k" who will probably die soon because he eats like crap.

Chase also makes reference to an incident that went down at the show's wrap party, when Harmon allegedly led the crowd in a "F**k You Chevy" chant ... in front of the actor's wife and daughter.

Sources tell TMZ, the rant was extremely awkward for everyone present -- some people joined in, but most people just watched uncomfortably. And Chevy stormed out.

The chant was reportedly in response to Chase walking off the set on one of the final days of shooting.