Things You Might Not Know About The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ Family
Published on July 12, 2018. Updated March 25, 2020Chrisley Knows Best centers around Georgia real estate mogul Todd Chrisley, his wife Julie, their children Savannah, Grayson and Chase, as well as his children from his first marriage. First premiering in 2014, the show has now been going for six successful seasons. There’s a lot to know about the Chrisley family, so check out these 12 things that most people don’t know:
12. Landing the Reality Show
According to Todd, Chrisley Knows Best was launched after a couple of production companies approached him and told him that they think his family would make for good television. “I was approached by All3Media and Maverick TV. They said they felt like our family was a show, that there was something there. I always knew there was some crazy, but they felt like it was a show. They asked to do a sizzle reel, and I didn’t know what that was. We agreed to it, and really it was okay if nothing came from it,” he told OK! Magazine. The show was presented to ten networks and they received nine offers!
Press Association11. He Filed for Bankruptcy Protection in 2012
In August 2012, Todd filed a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, listing his assets at $4.2 million and his debts at $49.4 million. According to his attorney, the father of five found himself in a financial hole after he guaranteed a real estate development loan that failed and left him on the hook for $30 million. In the court filing, he claimed to only have $55 in a checking account and $100 in cash.
Guy D’Alema/©USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection10. Todd’s Ex-Wife Alleges That He Abused Her
Todd’s first wife Terry – who he married when she became pregnant at the age of 19 – claims that he physically and verbally abused her. In an interview with MailOnline, she revealed that she filed a domestic violence case against him at the end of their marriage. Things got so violent at one point during their marriage that he reportedly tore off her clothes and battered her with a closed fist. After their divorce, even though he was married to Julie just one month later, he hired a private investigator to track Terry down and then Todd showed up at her home filming her. According to Terry, he sent the footage to a television special about cheating wives.
Everett Collection9. Todd Wanted to Become a Country Singer
In 2016, Todd signed a deal with BMI to sing and write music. His first song was a collaboration with country star Sara Evans and songwriters Shane Stevens and Nash Overstreet. They wrote the song “Infinite Love,” which is about his marriage with his wife Julie. The song made it to the Top 20.
8. Julie’s Cancer Diagnosis
In 2012, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was just 39 years old at the time and didn’t think that she needed a mammogram until she turned 40, but Todd urged her to follow her intuition and have one done anyway. During her mammogram, it was discovered that there was a lump in her breast and weeks later she had a double mastectomy. Now, she’s free of cancer.
©USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection7. Todd’s Tumultuous Relationship with His Son Kyle
Todd has a very complicated relationship with his son Kyle. According to Kyle, he was kicked off the family’s show and lost custody of his daughter Chloe to his father, who then began featuring her on Chrisley Knows Best to reportedly increase the ratings. Todd has dismissed Kyle’s allegations, claiming that his son has bipolar disorder and that he’s been self-medicating. “Kyle is bipolar and normally, people that are bipolar, they seek out a way to self-medicate, which is what Kyle has done since he’s been young,” Todd told E! News. “I want what’s best for him.”
Guy D’Alema/©USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection6. Julie’s Tragic Past
Julie grew up in a trailer park in a double-wide trailer in Winchester, South Carolina. Her father worked as a mechanic and her mother was a bank teller. In 2002, her family was hit by a tragedy – her brother, Trey, committed suicide behind the family’s trailer, leaving behind a son. He was just 25. Her dad then left his career as a mechanic to pursue a new career as a Baptist minister.
Everett Collection5. Todd Never Approved of Lindsie’s Marriage
According to Todd, he never approved of his daughter Lindsie’s marriage to Will Campbell. “I don’t think that the marriage started out the way that it should have, and certainly not the way that a father would like to see a marriage start. You know, a father has his dreams when he has a child or a daughter that a young man is going to come and knock on the door one day and say, ‘Mr. Chrisley, I love your daughter so much and may I have her hand in marriage?’ That never happened. The level of respect wasn’t there,” he said. “Lindsie should have never condoned that kind of disrespect. I don’t believe that people disrespect you unless you allow it. We never condoned that from our children, we don’t condone it from a third party, but with that being said…they got married, they did very well on their own, they built their first home together, Will has been a hard worker and a very good provider for them and is an excellent father.”
Guy D’Alema/©USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection4. Kyle’s Baby Mama’s Legal Issues
Kyle and his baby mama Angela Jonhson had a really dramatic relationship. According to Angela, Kyle choked and threatened her during their relationship and once threw a bottle of pills at her while she was holding their daughter Chloe, which hit them both in the face. Kyle has said that he and Angela never had any sort of long-term relationship and that Chloe was the product of a one night stand that he had with Angela. While Kyle has had his own issues, his baby mama has had hers. In 2016, she was arrested for Medicaid fraud. She had reportedly been claiming Chloe as a dependent when Todd and Julie had custody of her and owed Medicaid $20,000 as a result.
Everett Collection3. Todd’s Sister-in-Law Tried to Extort the Family
Todd’s sister-in-law, Pamela Chrisley, was arrested in 2016 for trying to blackmail and extort money from him and was charged with 2nd-degree harassment. She was reportedly threatening to sell a story to a tabloid newspaper unless hush money was deposited into her bank account. Pamela denied any involvement in the crimes and her lawyer alleged that the allegations were just a way for the Chrisley family to increase ratings for their reality show.
Mark Hill / ©A&E / Courtesy: Everett Collection2. Property Tax Issues
In 2017, the state of George filed more than $700,000 in liens against Todd and Julie Chrisley for not paying their state taxes and for pretending to live in Florida where there isn’t a state income tax. The Chrisleys reportedly didn’t file state income taxes from 2004 to 2011. His son Kyle was reportedly involved in the investigation and alleged that his dad was trying to hide money because he “doesn’t like to pay what he owes.” Kyle also claims that his father drove him and his sister to Florida to get their driver’s permits to keep up the illusion.
Everett Collection1. Canceled Talk Show
In 2017, it was reported that Todd was getting his own talk show, According to Chrisley, but a year later, it was canceled after just one season. Even before the show’s cancellation, it experienced its fair share of drama. It was stuck in production for three years and was reshot countless times and was rewritten multiple times as well.
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