Out of the entire Chrisley clan, Savannah Chrisley has been the most vocal about the rough year her family has had.
The reality star spent 2023 speaking on her hit podcast about her parents’ incarceration and standing up for prison reform in the American penal system.
Her parents, Julie and Todd Chrisley, were found guilty of committing tax evasion and defrauding community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans in June 2022. Julie Chrisley was additionally convicted of obstruction of justice and wire fraud. Todd and Julie Chrisley starred on the USA Network docuseries, “Chrisley Knows Best.” The couple called themselves real estate tycoons.
What is Savannah Chrisley’s podcast?
Started in October 2022, Savannah Chrisley started “Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley” to break down the emotional walls she has “built through a decade of reality television.” On the first episode of the podcast, she touched on accusations and scandals surrounding her family.
Now with nearly 60 episodes under her belt, the reality star has used her podcast to talk about her parents’ negative experiences so far and shine a light on prison reform.
Here are some of the biggest details Savannah Chrisley has revealed on her podcast so far.
While in prison, Todd and Julie Chrisley are not able to physically speak with each other
In May 2023, Savannah Chrisley told listeners that she recently received dozens of letters written by her mother. These letters detailed how much she misses Todd Chrisley, as the two had allegedly been unable to talk with each other after reporting to prison in January 2023.
“She actually sent me 30 to 40 days’ worth of letters, it was just like her daily diary, journal … I’ll eventually put them out, read them at some point to give people updates on how they were doing and what was going through their minds,” Savannah Chrisley said of her parents, Todd and Julie.
She continued, “I don’t think there’s a single letter that goes by that she does not say how much she misses my dad. They don’t get to talk, so we’re four months in, almost, and being together almost 30 years now and not going a day without speaking to now going on four months is a lot.”
In September 2023, she said that her parents were able to email with each other.
Julie and Todd Chrisley allegedly live in unsafe, inhumane conditions while in federal prison
In a July 2023 episode of her podcast, Savannah Chrisley, joined by her brother Chase, criticized the conditions at the federal prisons housing her parents. Todd Chrisley is serving his sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola while Julie Chrisley is at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Chrisley siblings claimed their parents did not have air-conditioning at their facilities and also said the prisons had “black mold, asbestos” and snakes “slithering on the floor” in Julie’s case.
“The truth is that they are in inhumane conditions, but they’re keeping their sanity and they’re putting one foot in front of the other,” Savannah Chrisley said of her parents’ incarceration. “So they’re not giving up. There is no admission of guilt.”
The siblings also alleged the prisons hide the conditions when a Bureau of Prison director comes to inspect, with Savannah Chrisley claiming the prisons get advance notice of inspections.
A representative for the Bureau of Prisons declined the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment on any “anecdotal allegations” or specific inmates, but told the outlet that its facilities follow Environmental Protection Agency and other official guidelines.
