Tragic Things You Never Knew About The Chrisley Family

The following includes discussions of attempt in suicide, addiction, and mental health.

"Chrisley Knows Best" made its grand debut in March 2014 on USA Network and, since then, has taken the reality television world by storm. If you haven't had the chance to binge-watch this series yet, allow us to give you a quick rundown of what it's all about. The show is centered on the Chrisleys, a wealthy southern family who live in Nashville, Tennessee and showcase their over-the-top, everyday life living in luxury. The family consists of patriarch Todd Chrisley, wife Julie, and children Savannah, Chase, and Grayson. Additionally, Todd's children from his first marriage, Lindsie and Kyle, pop in throughout the show, but if there is one person we absolutely cannot forget about, it's Todd's hilarious mother, Nanny Faye, who never fails to bring her sass and humor to the series. And lastly, of course, there is Chloe Chrisley, Todd's granddaughter. 

According to a press release from NBCUniversal, since the show has aired, it averages 1.5 million total viewers, so clearly it's popular. But as entertaining and drama-filled as the series is, it's nothing compared to what the Chrisleys have gone through behind the scenes. Here are some of the most tragic things the Chrisley family has endured.

Todd Chrisley's file for bankruptcy wasn't the only public financial situation the Chrisleys found themselves in. According to People, the "Chrisley Knows Best" stars were accused of evading almost $2 million between 2008 and 2016 in state taxes, wire fraud, and conspiracy bank fraud. Todd addressed the situation in a post that he shared on Instagram in August 2019. "We discovered that a trusted employee of ours had been stealing from us big time ... It involved all kinds of really bad stuff like creating phony documents, forging our signatures, and threatening other employees with violence if they said anything," he wrote. "Not only do we know we've done nothing wrong, but we've got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it." 

In October 2019, the Chrisley family was cleared of the $2 million tax evasion charge by the Georgia Department of Revenue. The Chrisleys were reported to have overpaid in four of those years and owed less than $77,000 for one year due to incorrect filing (via E! News). "Julie and I knew all along that we had done nothing wrong and that when the facts all came out, we would be fine," Todd said in a statement (via People). "We're just glad that the Department of Revenue was willing to keep an open mind and look at all the evidence."

Todd Chrisley and Lindsie Chrisley, his estranged daughter from his first marriage, have an incredibly complicated relationship. It all started when Todd accused Lindsie of having an affair during her eight-year marriage to Will Campbell with a Georgia Department of Revenue official — specifically, the official who was investigating the family for tax evasion, as Lindsie told Dr. Phil. 

Not too long after, Lindsie filed a police report claiming that her father and brother Chase Chrisley were "threatening and harassing her" to release an alleged sex tape involving her that her brother had purchased, as E! News reported. Lindsie claimed that they "wanted her to lie about an incident" and if she refused, they were going to release the tape. Todd denied the allegations in a statement to E! News and accused her of cheating on her husband with two reality stars, saying, "It's heartbreaking and shameful that these kinds of accusations have to be aired in public. We have tried to keep Lindsie's extramarital relationships with [Bachelor Nation stars] Robby Hayes and Josh Murray private for her sake since August of 2016."

In September 2021, Lindsie told Entertainment Tonight that she has no interest in having a relationship with her family. "There will never be a reconciliation," she said. "I think that the most that anyone could ask for at this point is for everyone to go on with their lives as they see fit and to just leave the other side alone."

Like many celebrities and public figures, the Chrisleys have unfortunately experienced a scary stalker situation. In March 2021, Todd and Julie Chrisley opened up about the situation on an episode of their podcast "Chrisley Confessions" titled "The Dark Web, Respecting Boundaries, and Dealing with Life as It Comes." "We've been dealing with this stalker situation and it has now gone to another level," Todd said. "I mean to where we have 24-hour security. ... This guy is a drug addict, he has been arrested multiple times ... He's gone to jail, I mean ... he's been in psych wards. You name it, he's done it." 

The Chrisleys explained a lot of the fascination was towards their daughter Savannah and how the alleged stalker purchased her phone number off "the dark web," as well as hacked social media platforms of all the family members. The situation has affected their livelihoods and their ability to sleep at night, even with security guards around their home and with Savannah at all times. 

Todd continued that a criminal warrant has been signed for the person causing this issue "because he finally crossed the line in something that he did that allowed the state of Tennessee and this jurisdiction to go after him." 

As much as the Chrisley family tries to show off their seemingly perfect lives in front of the camera, it is no secret that Todd and his eldest son, Kyle Chrisley, have definitely faced some rough times throughout their relationship. According to Radar Online, things became tense after Kyle allegedly threatened to kill his father while he was under the influence of drugs. Kyle, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was removed from the family's reality show. "He refused to take his medication. He was hostile to the crew. He was hostile to other people on the show and you can't have that," Todd explained to E! News, noting that he "didn't kick Kyle off the show." It is safe to say Kyle felt a certain way about this decision because he later told the Daily Mail that his father is a snake who "ruined me and he's ruined the other three kids he's had who are spoiled." 

Fortunately these days, Kyle and his father are working on rebuilding their relationship and are in a better place. In August 2019, Kyle shared that he is no longer estranged from his father. "9 months ago I went to my dad with an apology. His words were 'I love you always, and you are forgiven' and just like that I was welcomed back into his life with open arms," he wrote in a post on Facebook.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

In 2012, Julie Chrisley was diagnosed with breast cancer. In an interview with The Tennessean, she opened up about her cancer journey and how supportive her husband, Todd Chrisley, was during the entire process. She stated that he encouraged her to get the life-saving mammogram after two of their close friends were diagnosed with cancer. "I did it to appease him so he would shut up and leave me alone," Julie said. After getting a biopsy done, doctors revealed she had cancer, and she decided to undergo a double mastectomy. 

She claims that her relationship with her husband grew even stronger during a vulnerable moment when he helped her shower after being released from the hospital. "I truly believe that that moment took our relationship to a whole other level because he never flinched," she said, according to People. "He was in the shower with me, he took all of my bandages off, and he never flinched." Some times after the double mastectomy, Julie received breast implants and started to feel like "a new woman."