Savannah Chrisley Gets Candid About Family Life With Parents Todd & Julie in Prison

Savannah Chrisley has said raising her two younger siblings while their parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, are imprisoned hasn’t been easy, but she is “figuring it out” because “If I don’t do it, who else will?”

In a new interview with People, the 27-year-old reality star opened up about becoming the legal guardian of her younger siblings Chloe, 12, and Grayson, 18, after Todd and Julie were convicted of bank and tax fraud in 2022 and sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison.

“I wasn’t expecting to get two kids,” Savannah told the outlet. “So, between that, legal expenses to fight for my parents, I am just like anyone else out here. Sure, I put a smile on my face. I look the part, I play the part. But it doesn’t mean I actually am the part. You fake it till you make it. That’s the world that we live in.”

“I’ve struggled,” the Chrisley Knows Best alum continued, noting she’s “had to work multiple jobs,” including selling houses, podcasting, and social media influencing. “I do anything that comes my way. I’m no better than anyone else out here, to have to struggle.

Chloe, Savannah, and Grayson Chrisley; Unlocked Podcast YouTube

Savannah added, “And I am not lazy. I know that I have two kids to provide for, and I know I have two parents that I need to get home. So, I’ll work my ass off till the wee hours of the morning if I have to. It’s just who I am.”

The Chrisleys rose to fame on the USA Network reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which ran for 10 seasons between 2014 and 2023. The show also led to the spinoff series Growing Up Chrisley, which focused on Savannah and her brother, Chase Chrisley.

Reflecting on her time as a reality star, Savannah admitted she was “like any other teenager who got on TV, had money… I spent it like it was never going to end.”

However, when her parents started their lengthy prison sentences in January 2023, Savannah was forced to grow up. The reality of her situation truly hit her before her first visit to see her dad at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida.

“I just remember Chloe’s room was a mess. I didn’t know what you had to wear. They’re super strict on guidelines for visitation wardrobe,” she recalled. “I just remember falling to the floor, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this. I am not my mom. I cannot do this.’ I then just sat there, and I was like, ‘If I don’t do it, who else will?” And I picked myself up, got their clothes, and we went on our way…. You figure it out.”

“I’ve always said, ‘God meant for me to be a mom.’ So, there’s a lot of things that just come naturally for me. But it’s a learning process, for sure,” she added.

Grayson recently joined Savannah on her Unlocked podcast, where he talked about starting college at the University of Alabama and how his older sister helped prepare his dorm room. Savannah told People her younger brother has been “a huge help,” though things are tougher now that he’s not around the house, especially to help care for Chloe.

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Chloe is the biological daughter of Savannah’s brother, Kyle Chrisley, but was legally adopted by Todd and Julie in 2016 amid Kyle’s substance abuse issues. “My heart breaks for her,” Savannah said. “She’s not had an easy upbringing, and she’s had to endure the loss of parents twice.”

Savannah shared that Chloe is attending weekly therapy sessions and “she’s making progress,” even though other kids at school are “being mean to her.”

Summing up her relationship with her younger siblings, Savannah said, “Me, Chloe, and Grayson tackle everything together. Grayson had to grow up so fast, and I hate it, but he says, ‘You saved me. I don’t know what Chloe and I would’ve done without you.’ And I look at him, and I’m like, ‘He saved me more times than I can count.’”