Julie Chrisley Details How She, Husband Todd Separated To Serve Sentences In Prison Letter
Julie Chrisley penned a heartbreaking letter from prison while being away from her husband, Todd Chrisley.
Julie and Todd got separated a year ago to serve their prison sentences after being convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud. She is serving her sentence in Kentucky while he is in Florida. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, read Julie's letter in a recent episode of her "Unlocked" podcast.
TV personalities Julie Chrisley (L) and Savannah Chrisley speak onstage during the 'Chrisley Knows Best' panel at the 2016 NBCUniversal Summer Press Day at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village on April 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, California.
"I miss Todd so much that it hurts. I've never gone this long without talking to him," Savannah said while reading her mom's letter. "So many people know us here, so they're always talking about him, which I love, but it still makes me sad, too."
Julie also shared the moments leading up to their separation. The "Chrisley Knows Best" stars turned themselves into their respective prisons on Jan. 17, 2023.
"I knew my life was about to change forever," the 51-year-old reality star wrote. "My husband and I stood in our bedroom right in front of our prayer bench and said our goodbyes. We hugged, we kissed and we prayed before he walked out the door heading to Pensacola, Florida."
TV personality Savannah Chrisley (L) and producer/TV personality Todd Chrisley speak onstage during the 'Chrisley Knows Best' panel at the 2016 NBCUniversal Summer Press Day at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village on April 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, California.
She added, "This would be the last time I would speak to my husband face to face. We talked on the phone during his ride to Pensacola, I called one last time before I self-surrendered to the camp in Lexington."
Julie admitted how difficult it was to be separated from Todd as she recounted the time she drove to prison with their son, Chase, 27, and a good friend.
"I could not wrap my head around the fact that I was going to be separated from my husband and children for what seems like a lifetime," Julie continued in the letter. "We turned onto the road that the prison is located, passing white vans with paparazzi in them. My family said their goodbyes, and I walked into prison with nothing but the clothes on my back."
(L-R) TV personality Savannah Chrisley, producer/TV personality Todd Chrisley and TV personalities Julie Chrisley, Chase Chrisley and Lindsie Chrisley attend the 2016 NBCUniversal Summer Press Day at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village on April 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, California.
Meanwhile, Todd previously spoke about the "disgusting" living conditions in prison. According to him, the food was "a year past expiration" and the inmates were "literally starving." He added that he didn't eat the free meals and bought groceries from the commissary, but the supplies he could buy were cut down.
Abby Lee Miller, the former "Dance Moms" choreographer who served eight months in prison after being convicted of concealing assets from the bankruptcy court, warned Todd guards could pick on him for opening up about the dire living conditions there.
(L-R) Julie Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley and Todd Chrisley from reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, attend the 17th annual Waiting for Wishes celebrity dinner at The Palm on April 24, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
"They [are] going to get you. They're going to find a way to humiliate you further," Miller told Daily Mail, referring to prison guards. "They're going to find a way to take your privileges away. They're going to find a way to just make it worse than it is for everyone else."
Both Julie and Todd's sentences had been reduced. Todd will be released on Nov. 23, 2032, two years sooner than his original sentence. Meanwhile, Julie will be freed 14 months earlier on Aug. 20, 2028.
