Chase Chrisley, the son of Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, is finally speaking out and addressing his parents’ prison sentencing in a new sit-down with his sister, Savannah Chrisley. If you’re like me, you were absolutely SHOCKED when the news broke about the Chrisley Knows Best family. Back in 2019, a grand jury indicted both Todd and Julie on charges of tax evasion.
Following that, the pair spent the next two years entering not-guilty pleas and maintaining their innocence on their show and among their fans. On November 21, 2022, a federal judge sentenced both Todd and Julie to 12 and 7 years in prison, respectively.
After that, Todd and Julie, and their attorneys, have spoken publicly about their sentences and their plans to appeal. But, if I know anything about reality tv stars and their fraud-related legal cases, this Southern family getting out of the hot seat is very slim.
Now, in a new sit-down with his sister Savannah on her podcast, Unlocked, Chase finally breaks his silence on his family’s drama. Savannah pointed out to Chase that he hadn’t made any public statements since the sentencing, and Chase made it very clear why.
“I think that I don’t owe anybody an explanation,” he said, per People. “I don’t owe the public an explanation. I don’t need to explain how I feel to anybody, other than the people that I care about and that I love.”
Whew. Can’t lie here — hearing him say that is a solid piece of advice for me to heed as well. Yes, their family is on national television, so there is a level of “authenticity” that we expect from them. For the parents, yes–mention it all because I feel like they need to. But for the kids, I think they’re allowed to want to shield themselves from the press, media, and outside commentators. What the children are facing is unimaginable for most of us, so I want to extend grace where I can.
“Obviously, what we have been going through is hell. It is a terrible, terrible situation. But I have to try and find the good, even in the darkest time,” Chase continued.
In a recent interview with Lindsie Chrisley, she expressed a similar stance. I guess that’s the Chrisley way — remaining hopeful and grateful.
“I feel like throughout everything that we have been going through, it has made me appreciate things I did not appreciate as much in the past. It’s made me do a lot of reflecting and just kind of figuring out who I am now as a man and who I wanna be in 10 years, and then 10 years from there and 10 years from there,” Chase said.
Chase told Savannah that he was not “going to worry about” what the world is saying about him and his family during this time. “I have to make sure my family is good emotionally and that I am in a place emotionally where I can be there for my loved ones,” he stated.
“So that’s why I haven’t really said anything on Instagram or anything like that because I feel like I’ve been doing the work behind the scenes. And that’s going to pay off and I’ll just let my actions speak for what needs to be said.”
All in all, when the Chrisleys do report to prison, I hope their children are able to stay close and connected during that time. No one wins in situations like these — especially when you have such a large family that’s very obviously close. But, some would argue Todd and Julie should’ve thought about their family’s future BEFORE they committed crimes.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CHASE’S STATEMENTS? DO YOU THINK HE’S DOING THE RIGHT THING BY NOT COMMENTING PUBLICLY?
[Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic]
