Fans of his long-running reality show Chrisley Knows Best will know Todd Chrisley is a family
man above all else. The dedicated Christian is a proud patriarch of his clan — and he's
never afraid of being the bad guy. Ever since season one premiered on USA back in 2014,
two things have been clear; Todd was meant to be on reality television, and nothing will
keep him from being a good father — even if it means embarrassing himself in front
of the nation.
Todd's mother, Nanny Faye, has become something of a fan favorite on the show.
"Chase took me to a strip club and it was a lot of fun."
Todd's father, however, has remained something of an unknown in the world of Chrisley Knows
Best.
According to Distractify, Todd's beloved father, Gene Chrisley, passed away two years before
Chrisley Knows Best even premiered. He was 77 years old and battling cancer in Atlanta,
Georgia, at the time. Find A Grave confirms that Gene, an army vet who served in the Korean
War, passed away surrounded by family.
He and Faye tied the knot in the '60s, and she was nine years younger than him. When
Todd shared an Instagram throwback of his father in the army, several fans marveled
at the likeness between the two. Todd wrote in the caption,
"Found this today of my dad during his stint in the army, he was 16, I am proud of his
sacrifices and will never take them lightly."
He may not have been featured on Chrisley Knows Best, but Gene is frequently referred
to, and always with high regard. In one episode, Faye was setting up a dating profile for herself
with the help of her grandson Kyle, admitting,
"I was just looking for someone to find a cup of coffee with or to go out to dinner.
Someone to be a companion."
However, after scrolling through several eligible bachelors, Faye acknowledged,
"None of them look like Poppa do they? [...] I'm not ever gonna find nobody like him."
Kyle agreed with his grandmother, saying,
"Poppa looked better than all of these people."
Although Todd supported his mother going out on a date with a new guy, he also argued no
matter who it was, he couldn't possibly compare to Gene. Revealing that his father was Faye's
only boyfriend to date, Todd argued,
"I'm sure the guy that was there with my mom is a very nice gentleman. But he's not my dad.
"She wanted to know, do you still have a grandfather that might still be there?" "I actually do."
"Well me and you are gonna have to talk."
Aside from remaining a consistent presence on the show, the Chrisley clan continues to
pay tribute to Gene online, too. Chase Chrisley posted a throwback shot of the two of them
together in February 2020, captioning it simply, "Miss you bubba." Likewise, his sister Savannah
took to Instagram the previous October to admit that, in spite of how excited she was
for the launch of her clothing line, the moment felt bittersweet without her beloved grandfather
there cheering her on. She wrote at the time,
"My Papa Gene was my BIGGEST supporter and fan! I don't think he ever missed a horse
show or school event growing up. We were inseparable [...] best friends actually. I remember always
looking at him during my horse shows just to see his facial expressions because I wanted
to make him proud and to no surprise every time I looked he was grinning ear to ear!"
Although Savannah was disappointed Gene isn't present to see how far she's come, she also
was grateful for the time they did get to spend together. She added,
"I thank God for the 15 years that He gave me with you because those were the BEST 15
years. We miss you [...] I wish you could be here."
Then, in July 2020, Savannah marked eight years since her beloved Poppa passed in another
emotional post. She wrote in the caption,
"I will never forget your smell [...] your laughs [...] your hugs [...] and all of our
singing in the car! I miss you more than anything in this world [...] wish I could've had a
few more years with you."
Gene Chrisley may have been taken from his family, but his presence remains keenly felt
from his wife to his son and grandchildren alike.
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