Grayson Chrisley says having his parents in prison is ‘worse than them dying’

Grayson Chrisley has shared how he struggles with the prison sentences of his parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, saying their incarceration is “worse than them dying.”

The 17-year-old shared the toll that visiting his mother and father in their respective prisons has taken on him over the past five months while appearing on his sister Savannah Chrisley’s series. Unlocked podcast this week.

“To me it’s worse than them dying,” he said. ‘Cause they’re here, but they’re not here. So it’s just time being wasted. I’m saying, if they died, there’s no way you could spend any more time with them. So it’s over.’

Savannah asked her younger brother if he’s trying to “see it from a perspective, at least they’re still there to hug you and say ‘I love you’.”

“I mean, yes, but I’m allowed to do all that within a time limit,” he replied.

The Chrisleys went to jail in January after being convicted in June 2022 of bank fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the IRS.

Todd, 54, is serving 12 years in a Pensacola, Florida facility, while Julie, 50, is serving seven years in a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky.

Savannah, 25, has become the primary guardian for Grayson and her 10-year-old niece, Chloe, in their absence.

On her latest podcast episode, she and her younger brother discussed the difficulties of traveling back and forth to see their parents.

“I have a hard time going for weeks at a time because I’m in that mood until about Thursday or Friday, and then I start it all over again and never really get out of it,” said Grayson.

“I’m good Saturday. Sunday is when it hits me. And then Sunday through Thursday is bad, and then we go again on Friday and it’s exactly the same,” he added.

Savannah shared that she feels “renewed” after seeing their parents, but the constant travel has become a vicious cycle for Grayson, who admitted that they sometimes struggle with it.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go, but I’m also 17,” he explained.

However, Savannah pointed out that he also has a hard time skipping a visit and going away for three or four weeks without seeing their parents.

“It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” he agreed.

“It’s also hard because they tell you, ‘You have to live your life. You’re 17 years old. You can’t go every weekend,'” he said.

“And then if you don’t go, you still feel bad, even though they said so. Even though you know they understand, it’s like you still feel bad.”

Grayson also shared last month what it was like to celebrate his 17th birthday without his parents, saying it was “not fun.”

“It wasn’t the best birthday I’ve ever had,” he told his sister. ‘But I didn’t expect that, because mom and dad aren’t here. So yeah, it kind of sucked.”

Grayson has been candid about the fact that he is outraged by the situation his family is in and will probably feel that way for a long time to come.

“There will always be a part of you that is bitter,” he said. ‘There’s no escaping it. It’s gonna suck while they’re here.’

A source close to the Chrisley family told DailyMail.com that Todd is struggling with life behind bars as the reality of their situation has set in.

“Twelve years is a very, very long time and it already feels like a lifetime to him. Todd begins to feel hopeless. He is aware that his greed caused all of this,” the insider said.

Todd often boasted about his family’s wealth, including his two mansions worth a total of $9 million, the $300,000 he spent a year on clothing, and the $250,000 vintage Corvette he bought during their criminal investigation.

Their reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, and its spin-off, Growing Up Chrisley, served as a platform to show off their lavish lifestyle for years before being ripped off the air by the US network.

“The Chrisleys spent the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel – and used new fraudulent loans to pay back old ones,” the Justice Department said in a statement following the sentencing of Todd and Julie.

“After spending all the money, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million of the fraudulently obtained loans.”

The couple was ordered to pay back more than $17 million in restitution before going to jail.

In addition to Savannah and Grayson, they have a son Chase, 27. Todd also shares a daughter Lindsie, 33, and son Kyle, 31, with his ex-wife Teresa Terry.

In 2016, Todd and Julie were awarded custody of his son Kyle’s daughter Chloe.

The Chrisleys have maintained their innocence and are currently appealing their conviction, but their chances of winning the appeal are slim.

“They were told by people inside who are very familiar with the process that despite believing they were not getting a fair trial and the court made a mistake, overturning the jury’s decision is almost impossible,” the source said. . “They’re both aware of it.”