Details Revealed About Julie Chrisley's Life In Prison
It's safe to say that the Chrisleys were once one of America's favorite reality TV families, considering that they've managed to stay on TV on various shows for almost a decade. Their original series, "Chrisley Knows Best," aired on the USA network from 2014 to 2023, and followed the adventures of wealthy real estate mogul Todd Chrisley, his wife, Julie Chrisley, as well as their children, Lindsie, Kyle, Chase, Savannah, Grayson, and Chloe. On-screen, the family appeared to be wholesome, fun, and loving toward each other. Yet the family was eventually entangled in a few different controversies, including nasty feuds between Todd and his older children.
The biggest scandal to rock the Chrisleys, though, has definitely been Todd and Julie's arrest and conviction on several counts of tax evasion, as well as wire and bank fraud, in 2022. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie received seven years behind bars. When discussing their sentences on their podcast, "Chrisley Confessions," that November, Julie admitted, "Everyone knows that we're living through a nightmare," before adding that she was trying to rise above her fear of her future in prison.
In January 2023, Julie reported to prison at the Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky, which is far from where Todd is now serving time in Florida. Becoming an inmate is probably a big change for the former reality TV mom, so let's break down the details that have been revealed about Julie Chrisley's life in prison.
Julie Chrisley tried to make the best of prison at first
If you've watched "Chrisley Knows Best," then you know that Julie Chrisley has always been a person of faith. So, it's no surprise that she leaned heavily on religion to help ease her anxieties after she was sentenced to prison. While she admitted on the "Chrisley Confessions," podcast, "Worry is not from God, but it's something that I do all the time," she added that she was working with prayer partners to find ways to "live about [her] circumstances" by trusting God.
Chrisley seemingly tried to maintain that belief when she first checked into the Federal Medical Center by attempting to make the best of jail initially. When giving fans an update a few weeks into her mother's sentence on her podcast, "Unlocked," in January 2023, Savannah Chrisley even said, "My mom, she's honestly doing really well." Savannah continued, "She's going to church, she's working, she's playing some Spades, and when I tell you she's playing, she's running a dog on everyone."
Another good sign was that sources confirmed to TMZ that Julie began her prison stint in good physical health, as fans were reportedly worried that she was serving time in a "medical center" because her cancer had come back. On top of that, Savannah said on another episode of her podcast that her parents were still receiving a lot of fan mail, which likely gave Julie some happiness, knowing that many were rooting for her.
The former reality TV star appears to keep busy in jail
Prison certainly has to be an adjustment for Julie Chrisley, who was seemingly used to a life of luxury. While the South Carolina native probably had maids tidying up after her pre-lockup, she now must keep her prison cell clean on her own. According to Radar, the prison's handbook states that an inmate must sweep/mop their floors, make their bed, and take out their trash. Chrisley must do that all at 6 a.m. before she puts on her khaki uniform to do whatever job she's been assigned. While it's unclear what that is, Us Weekly reports that it's most likely some kind of job in food services or mainteance shops.
On a happier note, Chrisley is allowed to spend as much as $360 per month in commissary on different entertainment or personal products. Per Yahoo, she's also allowed educational activities, like arts and crafts. It seems that Chrisley spends a lot of her free time on the phone though, with a source dishing to Hollywood Life, "Todd and Julie have had several phone calls with their children and family."
Yet Chrisley's stepdaughter, Lindsie Chrisley, revealed on her podcast, "The Southern Tea," that Julie's email correspondence is extremely delayed. She and her grandmother, Nanny Faye Chrisley, have also said that it's been hard for Julie to get in-person visitors because of how her prison handles her waiting list. "They take their own time," Faye complained, adding, "It's a process."
Julie Chrisley is allegedly dealing with horrible conditions
Julie Chrisley is allegedly dealing with some pretty horrific conditions in prison. Her daughter, Savannah Chrisley, even implied on her podcast, "Unlocked," in February 2023 that her mother gets treated worse than dogs. She dished, "My mom's in a facility that has no air, but yet there are service dogs for the prison that are in a heated and cooled building because it's inhumane for them not to have air."
That wasn't the last time that Savannah blasted her mother's prison for being barbaric. On another episode of her podcast that July, she claimed that both her parents' cells contain black mold, asbestos, and lead paint. They both also don't have air conditioning, which she said made the over 100-degree temperatures unbearable for them. Her brother, Chase Chrisley, agreed and took to Extra! to debunk rumors that they were exaggerating. "It's a terrible situation. The conditions are awful," he said, adding, "Everyone has this perception that my parents are in this country club prison and that's just not the case at all."
What makes things even worse for Julie in particular, though, is that a poisonous snake apparently got into her cell. Her lawyer, Jay Surgent, not only echoed Chase and Savannah's claims about the terrible living conditions there, but seemingly confirmed to Fox News that a snake had to be removed. Thankfully, it appears that officials were able to catch it before anyone got hurt.
Julie Chrisley is having a hard time coping with prison
If Todd and Julie Chrisley's prison conditions really are as bad as their children and lawyer say, then it makes sense that they would both be struggling to get by. Yet Savannah Chrisley revealed on her "Unlocked" podcast in May 2023 that she felt that her mother was having a harder time coping with jail than her father was. While Savannah said that Julie tried to stay busy by taking classes and focusing on her health, Savannah can tell that she has been going through it from her letters. "It was tough to see her the accounts of her day ... and things that she's scared of or nervous about or just all the thoughts that go through her mind," Savannah said.
Julie had spoken about "living in fear" on "Chrisley Confessions" before she reported to prison, so it seems that her worries have, unfortunately, been validated. She's presumably also worried about her husband, Todd Chrisley, considering that an insider told OK! that he is terrified of prison too. A source reported that he's even been a target for other inmates because of his constant complaints about the conditions.
Overall, prison is unsurprisingly tough for both Julie and her husband for a wide variety of reasons. "Mentally, it's a hard place to be at," Savannah explained to E!, "You do the same things over and over and over again, every single day. And missing their kids ... but also missing each other."
The holidays have been extra hard on Julie Chrisley and her family
It appears that the holidays are extra difficult for Julie Chrisley now that she's spending them behind bars. Her daughter, Savannah Chrisley, spoke about Easter being particularly hard for them in 2023 on her podcast, "Unlocked," since it was their first holiday apart. Yet what might have been more upsetting for Julie was Mother's Day, because it doesn't seem that she got to spend the holiday with her children. While it's unclear if any of them visited her that day, Savannah implied that they were apart when she wrote about missing her mother on Instagram. She also suggested that they weren't together when she shared a text from her younger sister, Chloe, that read (via ET), "I'm sad mom will not be here for Mother's Day."
Savannah has been very vocal about how much she's struggled with each holiday without her mother around to make it special. In a post about Mother's Day in particular, she wrote, "Mothers Day — this one hit hard! I've been DREADING the holidays. First it was Easter, then Dads Birthday, now Mothers Day ... A lot of firsts happening ... and frankly ... I HATE IT!"
Julie and Todd's lawyer, Jay Surgent, told TMZ how disheartening the holidays are for the Chrisleys around Thanksgiving in 2023. However, he said it was Todd more so than Julie, who was having a harder time spending the holiday season locked up and away from his family and friends.
The mom of six gets special meals for holidays though
It seems that Julie Chrisley was still able to celebrate the holidays a bit in prison through what she was given to eat. On Mother's Day, for example, she reportedly got to feast on a Mother's Day brunch (per OK!). That not only included the typical eggs and potatoes fare, but even French toast. If she was still hungry at lunch, there was then a taco bar with different kinds of fixings as well.
Chrisley's prison apparently made special meals for both Fourth of July and Labor Day, too. On the Fourth, Radar reports that Chrisley was offered traditional BBQ for the holiday, which featured a side of watermelon, baked beans, corn, and potato salad. On top of that, the prison changed its visitation schedule so that inmates could see their families. "Visitation isn't scheduled on Tuesdays normally but we are having visitation tomorrow due to the federal holiday," a spokesperson from FMC Lexington explained. For Labor Day, they did cheeseburgers and hot dogs, which is probably similar to what Chrisley would have had at home.
A fun meal might make Chrisley feel better about being locked up for the holidays, considering that the reality TV mom is known for her love of food. Before prison, Chrisley had an online cooking segment called, "What's Cooking With Julie Chrisley." She also used to often share photos of her food on Instagram, as well as recipes on her now-defunct food blog.
Julie Chrisley misses her husband, Todd Chrisley
You could say that one of the hardest parts about Julie Chrisley's new life in prison is being away from her husband of almost 30 years, Todd Chrisley, now that they are in two separate federal prisons, several states away. Julie had expressed her worries about that on "Chrisley Confessions," but seemingly tried to find comfort in knowing that they'd be reunited one day. Regardless, now that she's actually away from Todd, their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, says she's yearning to see him again. "I don't think there's a single letter that goes by that she does not say how much she misses my dad," she said on "Unlocked."
What is probably additionally brutal for Julie though, is that she had to go months without any contact with her husband at all. Both Savannah and Chase Chrisley gave updates on that, with Savannah expressing how not even communicating for 195 days was heart-wrenching for her parents. Chase later told Extra, "It's over 200 now, which is really tough for them because my mom and dad are obsessed with each other."
Things weren't much better by that September, because Savannah told People that she saw her mother get physically upset over not being able to see Todd. "I just sat with my mother at visitation this weekend," Savannah shared, adding, "And she cried about how much she missed my father." Yet around that same time, Savannah did say they've at least been able to email a little.
Julie Chrisley got some good news behind bars
It hasn't been all doom and gloom for Julie Chrisley in prison, because she actually received some good news while behind bars. In September, both Julie and her husband, Todd Chrisley, got their prison sentences reduced. To be specific, Julie's sentence was shortened by 14 months. Their lawyer, Jay Surgent, explained to Fox News that he was able to decrease both of their sentences because they've been model prisoners who've followed all the rules. He also told People that he was going to continue to see if he could get even more time off their terms because they are non-violent offenders.
There could even be more good tidings coming Julie's way too, since, as of September, Surgent was still working to appeal their case. "We argued very vigorously that their constitutional rights have been violated, and that they basically were not given a fair hearing," he said. While getting released from prison would presumably be ideal, Julie's daughter, Savannah Chrisley, expressed her gratitude for the time off to E!. She did make it known though, that she wouldn't stop fighting until both of her parents were out of jail.
Savannah did share on Instagram in November 2023 that some headway had been made in that after the appellate court granted oral arguments in her parents' case. She gushed in a video, "We get to go and argue why Mom and Dad should be home so God is good, Thanksgiving win."
Julie Chrisley may feel targeted by prison officials
At this point, it's clear that Chase and Savannah Chrisley have been speaking out against the harsh conditions that their parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, have allegedly been subjected to. Yet, they seemingly want to make positive change for all inmates, especially since Savannah apparently thinks that prison officials do things to purposely cause pain. In September 2023, for instance, she told Daily Mail that the prison put a padlock on the ice machines while the temperature hit over 100 degrees as a way to retaliate against prisoners.
Savannah also feels that prison officials have specifically retaliated against her parents because they spoke out about their living conditions and treatment. She gave an example by claiming that they were maliciously withholding and tampering with her parents' mail. Savannah also told ET that, while she feels that her father has been targeted by prison guards more, she believes that her mother has had to deal with verbal abuse. "Some of the male guards, they definitely speak down on the women [in jail]. They make them feel like garbage," Savannah claimed.
If that's not bad enough, Julie's lawyer, Jay Surgent, asserted that she and Todd have been "singled out" because of their fame. In a separate interview, he told ET, "I don't want to absolutely say that they've been discriminated against as a result of their celebrity status, [but there are] certain things that they've had to endure ... that need to be corrected."
Julie Chrisley has had to deal with divorce rumors in jail
Julie Chrisley is apparently still dealing with some of the downsides of fame in jail, like breakup rumors. There's been speculation that she'll divorce her husband, Todd Chrisley, now that they're forced to spend years apart in separate federal prisons. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, first shut down those rumors on Instagram back in May though, by writing in a post, "My parents are MADLY in love with each other and will come out of this trial even stronger and more in love than before."
That wasn't enough for some people, however, considering that more rumors surfaced in September about Julie seeking counsel so she could officially file for divorce. Savannah once again debunked that by saying that she would have known first if that was really the case. A month later, Julie's lawyer, Jay Surgent, even spoke on it, telling Radar, "I can confirm that Julie is more in love with Todd today than ever."
Yet, the Daily Mail still reported in November that Julie could potentially leave Todd soon because she holds him responsible for persuading her to go along with the illegal scheme that got her stuck behind bars. Regardless of who Julie really blames, the fact is that she got convicted of a crime so she now must do the time. And while her life in prison has been extremely difficult, she appears to at least have family, friends, and fans rooting for her on the outside.