The Chrisleys are pretty candid on Chrisley Knows Best,
but there's a lot that the cameras don't show you — everything from
the family's financial troubles to the criticism they face from online trolls.
You may think you know a lot about this southern family, but we're here to spill all the tea.
Christianity is important for each of the Chrisleys, but the cameras don't show you
the extent of it. If you follow any one of these reality stars on social media,
you'd learn that faith is everything to them. Notably, in April 2020, after recovering from
COVID-19, Todd Chrisley posted a bible verse on his Instagram account on Easter Sunday. Julie
Chrisley has also shared inspiring religious posts on Instagram, as has Savannah Chrisley.
Chase Chrisley is also a man of faith, both on and off camera. In fact, his first tattoo was a
bible verse — and the cameras captured the day Chase got the ink – as well as the day
Todd forced him to remove his tattoo — and here's the reason why. Todd told People magazine,
"Well, here's my thing. I paid for him to go a private Christian school his entire life.
So if he doesn't know that Bible verse by now and he has to use his body as a cheat sheet,
then I need a refund from the school that I sent him to!"
Dubbed the "patriarch of perfection" during the show's Season 1 teaser, viewers learned that Todd
is a self-made multi-millionaire. He and his family lived in a 30,000 square-foot Atlanta
mansion. Life seemed perfect on-screen, but the Chrisleys were dealing with financial problems.
According to People, Todd filed for bankruptcy in 2012 — and his debts totaled a whopping $49.4
million. Then, in 2019, Todd and Julie Chrisley faced "a federal indictment for tax evasion
and other financial offenses, charges that could lead to jail time," according to E! News.
In response to the revelations,
Todd's attorney told the publication that the Chrisleys are innocent, adding:
"The allegations contained in the indictment are based on complete falsehoods."
The Chrisleys seem to be doing well as of Season 8 of Chrisley Knows Best, living in a smaller,
but still extravagant 11,000 square-foot home in Brentwood, Tennessee, according to the Tennessean.
Though the Chrisley family seems super close on-screen,
things aren't all peachy keen with the entire bunch. While Todd has a good relationship with
the children he shares with Julie, his relationship with his oldest daughter,
Lindsie Chrisley, from his previous marriage, is pretty much nonexistent, according to USA Today.
Though Lindsie did appear on earlier seasons of Chrisley Knows Best, she left the show in 2017.
"There was an altercation that happened after the cameras shut down."
She later said on her podcast, Coffee Convos, that she felt like the "outcast" of her family. Things
got worse two years later, when Lindsie alleged that Todd and Chase were blackmailing her with
an adult tape she made, as TMZ reported. According to the police report, Lindsie said that her father
and brother threatened to release the tape if she didn't lie about the family's tax issues.
"For what they've done to me with this media circus, I will never forgive them."
In response, Todd denied his daughter's allegations, and said in his Chrisley
Confessions podcast that he hopes to make amends with his daughter Lindsie.
For the most part, the Chrisley family sticks together, especially when online
trolls threaten any one of them. That was surely the case when Todd's biracial granddaughter,
Chloe Chrisley, was a target of racism in the summer of 2020.
Todd defended his granddaughter, whom he shares custody of with his wife,
after an online hater responded sourly to an Instagram selfie of Todd
and Chloe. Todd captioned the photo with words showing support for the anti-racism
movement. In a comment on the post, a particularly mean-spirited user wrote:
"I'm sorry, I don't like it. Marry your own color, it really screws up the kids."
In response to the vitriol, Todd took the high road, saying,
"I hope that the Lord lets you live long enough to see that color doesn't screw kids up,
but ignorance and hate most certainly will."
"Tell her you love your papa."
"I love my papa."
For more than 20 years, Todd has called Julie his wife, and their marital ups and downs are
often featured on the show. However, that doesn't stop viewers from doubting Todd's heterosexuality.
Sure, he may love fashion, and according to his wife, he's a so-called metrosexual,
meaning he cares about his appearance, but that doesn't mean he's gay.
Todd said as much during an interview with The Domenick Nati Show in 2017,
and revealed that he doesn't take the rumors to heart, saying,
"In order for it to disappoint me, it would mean that I don't agree with someone being gay. I don't
believe that's a choice that you make. I believe that you are the way that God has made you."
Always the funny man, Todd went on to say that he and his wife
are actually flattered by the rumors. He quipped,
"I'm flattered that people think I can get laid on both
ends. And my wife certainly is flattered that as many men want her husband as there are women."
A night at the Chrisleys may involve watching the latest Chrisley Knows Best episode,
but Savannah probably won't want to tune in to some of it.
She got engaged to Nic Kerdiles in 2019, after they dated for two years,
according to E! News. However, the duo called off the wedding in early 2020,
and a good chunk of the fallout is documented on Season 8 of the popular reality show.
"It's so easy to be in the honeymoon phase of things,
and then when the real world hit, we weren't prepared for it."
Savannah told E! News she's unsure as to whether
she wants to relive the heartbreak by watching footage of that event.
She also isn't excited to hear opinions and criticisms from viewers. She explained,
"The hard part too is that people only see the 30 minutes of something and love to come at you
on social media, be hateful, and kind of give their opinions where they're not really needed."
Ever since Savannah was a teenager, she's suffered from endometriosis , which is a
debilitating condition that affects women's reproductive systems,
according to the Mayo Clinic. Savannah chose to keep her long-time struggle to herself and family
because she felt "discouraged" to go public, according to her interview with People magazine.
However, in 2020, Savannah opened up to fans on Instagram about her endometriosis,
after she underwent her third surgery to remove it from her "uterus, ovaries, bladder,
and other nearby areas." Her condition was so painful, she told the publication,
"There were days when I couldn't get out of bed,
and the pain was so bad that I would get nauseous and throw up."
It even led her to develop anxiety and depression. Fortunately,
Savannah was nicely surprised to receive an outpouring of support. She explained,
"A lot of other women have messaged me on Instagram about it and shared their stories.
It's been really uplifting."
The Chrisleys may look relaxed at home while a camera crew is filming their every move,
but the scrutiny hasn't always been easy for the family.
This is especially true for the younger members of the Chrisley bunch.
The siblings opened up to People magazine in 2020 ahead of the Season 8 premiere. Both
now in their 20s, Chase admitted that fame made them grow up faster, saying,
"I know I've made my fair share of mistakes, and learning how to bounce back and just grow from
each mistake. It's a little bit different because every time we screw up it's in the public eye."
Savannah agreed, and said she used to feel the need to be perfect all the time,
especially in front of the cameras. She added,
"I've put a lot of pressure on myself in order to live this perfect life and not disappoint people."
Even when the cameras stop rolling, Todd and Julie are still very much in the public eye,
documenting their everyday lives on social media. And fans don't mind that one bit,
especially when Chrisley Knows Best is on hiatus. Todd even has his own YouTube Channel
and a podcast with his wife called Chrisley Confessions, which often features special guests.
Savannah and Chase also document their lives on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Savannah, who has more than two million Instagram followers, loves posting family photos and
high-fashion glossy portraits of herself. Chase, who has over a million followers on Instagram,
uses the platform to share his love of golf and family, and to promote Chrisley Knows Best.
Both siblings are often featured on each other's feeds, showing how close they are even off camera.
While fame comes with tons of benefits, it also has cons like internet trolls,
as the stars of Chrisley Knows Best can attest to. For example, in the summer of 2020,
Todd posted a bed selfie that looked nothing like him on Instagram. But his youthful appearance
prompted some followers to suggest he'd had plastic surgery. According to People magazine,
Todd clapped back at the haters who insisted he had gone under the knife. He wrote,
"You are so kind. I actually have no filler in my face,
but if you sleep better thinking that, then consider me fillered up."
In May of 2020, Savannah was also criticized by
fans for posting beach selfies with her friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whatever the Chrisleys do, as long as they share it with fans, criticism will most
likely follow. Luckily, they try not to let it bother them. As Savannah told People magazine,
"Right now, I'm at a place where I want to live my life for myself
and not be so fixated on what people think."
Out of all the Chrisleys, there's probably no one more funny or
outspoken than Todd. The Chrisley Knows Best star is famous for dishing out funny
one-liners and dad jokes with great comedic timing on-camera.
"Hurry up! Are you milking the cow? Damn." then show the milk
Todd is so funny that doubters have questioned whether or not
those are his jokes — and they might not be. One source told Radar Online,
"Todd uses a team of comedy writers for his show,
and has been using them to write dialogue for several seasons.
Todd does not come up with this stuff on his own, and is not as funny as people think."
"Clearly we see how slowly our boys grow up, I mean look at Chase."
But, according to a Southern Living writer, who interviewed the doting father in 2015,
Todd is just as funny and quotable as he is on the show. The writer explained,
"The show isn't scripted. Difficult as it might be to believe,
[Todd] Chrisley speaks this crisply, this quotably."
Despite all the naysayers and negativity, Julie says she's grateful for the show and all it's
done for her family. In an interview with Style Blueprint, she revealed,
"I want our fans to know that we, as a family, feel blessed that you bring us into your lives
each week. We consider this a privilege that you allow us to live out our lives
and hopefully impact others in a positive way."
She added that she's taught her children to view the show as a "blessing,"
and a reason to "pay it forward" to others. Savannah is already paying it forward by
being open with her health struggles to help other women. She explained to People magazine,
"Growing up on TV has had it's pros and cons, but overall it's given us a platform
to help others and meet a lot of people. I don't think we can complain too much."
Savannah launched her fashion line, Faith Over Fear,
on the Home Shopping Network. In a joint interview with her on his YouTube channel, Todd gushed,
"It's such a wonderful feeling as a parent to be able to live long enough to see your
child's dreams, that they've worked so hard for, to actually start coming true."
He added that while the show provided a platform for Faith Over Fear to become a reality,
his daughter's work ethic made it possible. Though the Chrisleys are far from perfect,
that's what makes them lovable on and off the screen.
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