What Todd Chrisley's Life In Prison Is Really Like

We've seen plenty of reality stars test the limits of their celebrity status, thinking that their pop culture relevance can save them from their shady decisions. Going from red carpet looks to groggy mugshots, sometimes even the most famous stars fall from grace. Just ask Todd Chrisley, the reality TV personality who secretly hid millions of dollars in assets from the government. 

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star didn't actually know best, as he and his wife, Julie, were convicted in 2022 for tax fraud and defrauding small banks out of over $30 million in falsified loans. Chrisley and his wife have maintained their innocence despite being found guilty, arguing that a shady employee of theirs was responsible for embezzling the funds. "The reality of it for me is that when you know you did not do these things ... and yet you stand here convicted. That's a hard pill to swallow ... it's very sad where we are," Chrisley lamented on an episode of his "Chrisley Confessions" podcast.

Chrisley's life looks a lot different than when he was the rich patriarch of a family featured on a hit reality series. As the disgraced television personality serves his 10-year reduced sentence in federal prison, we're breaking down all the details about what his life behind bars is really like.

Todd Chrisley will spend the next decade doing time for his money laundering crimes at the Federal Prison Camp. The all-male facility in Pensacola, Florida holds around 400 inmates. Chrisley won't be enjoying much privacy, as the inmates are all assigned to multi-man rooms by the counselors. According to the prison's handbook, he may one day graduate to bottom-bunk status based on seniority, a shocking contrast to the life he once lived on his gigantic Tennessee estate. 

Whenever he does make it to the bottom bunk, he may not be getting the best sleep. According to the facility's rules, Chrisley is subjected to official inmate counts during weekdays, which take place at 12:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., and 4:30 a.m., with at least three more throughout the day. Following their weekday work duties, the inmates are offered intramural sports, music, and craft-making, as well as weekly screened movies.

Long gone are Chrisley's designer clothes, and in its place are sets of green standard-issue prison garments. The reality star does, however, have the opportunity to take work assignments off-site at a nearby Naval base or at the Eglin Air Force Base, as outlined in the handbook. If Navy dress blues aren't his style, Chrisley can opt for prison jobs that include food service, sanitation, maintenance, health services, or education.

Todd Chrisley walked out of an Atlanta courtroom with a 12-year prison sentence in the fall of 2022. The reality star was convicted on multiple counts of bank fraud and tax evasion along with his wife, Julie Chrisley, although he bore the brunt of their crimes with a longer sentence, as she received seven years in prison. He reported to Pensacola at the start of 2023 to begin his time behind bars.

Not even a year into their respective sentences, Todd and Julie got the news that they would be getting out of prison earlier than expected. The couple's attorney, Jay Surgent, revealed to Entertainment Tonight that Todd's sentence was reduced to 10 years from his original 12-year sentence, and his wife's sentence was reduced from seven years to around five. The news came after reports that the two had exhibited great behavior and qualified under the First Step Act, which is designed to help reduce prison size and reward non-violent, model inmates. 

Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, admitted on an episode of "The Viall Files" in September 2023 that her family is actively pursuing even shorter sentences for her parents. "We have an open appeal that we're fighting and going after. There's been some reform stuff to come down the pipeline that goes into effect in February, which could take two points off of each of them so there's a bunch of different avenues we're pursuing," she said. 

From reality television family patriarch to prison president? It's not exactly the turn of events that Todd Chrisley was probably expecting. But according to his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, he's rolling with the punches. On a September 2023 episode of "The Viall Files," the former pageant queen revealed that her father has quite a few friends in prison. Savannah admitted that Todd is in the company of some high-profile prisoners, including Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal.

The former reality star has also reportedly developed a fan club of sorts during his time behind bars. "He likes to joke because, like, even at visitation like I meet so many different people. It's hilarious ... they come through and they're like clapping his hands ... he's like the president of this place," Savannah joked. 

Despite his popularity, Todd doesn't get to reap any benefits of the social ladder. He's still subjected to the same standard as the rest of his fellow inmates at the Pensacola prison regardless of his fame. And according to his son, Chase Chrisley, it's not pretty. "Now they both have no air [conditioning,]" Chase complained on a July 2023 episode of Savannah's "Unlocked" podcast. "They're both in states where it gets 100 plus degrees, and there's no air conditioning ... I don't care if you killed somebody. If you're in a government facility, you should have air conditioning. That's just ridiculous."

The Pensacola prison where Todd Chrisley is serving his sentence is anything but a maximum security facility. In fact, daughter Savannah Chrisley compared the Federal Prison Camp to something like a sleepaway camp on an episode of "The Viall Files." During the podcast she explained that she "considered [FPC] like a camp, like the lowest possible you can be in, so it's like adult babysitting."

Despite her description of the facility, Savannah did admit to some inhumane living conditions that her dad is allegedly facing. "Being in conditions where it's 100 degrees inside and having no air conditioning, and the prisons padlocking the ice machines just to retaliate against the inmates," she responded when asked by the Daily Mail what exactly her father was coping with. Being the reality star that he is, Savannah admitted that her father has faced backlash for spreading the news of life inside FPC. "There's already retaliation happening because of how I'm exposing things," she said. "[But] if it means we make a change for the greater good, then they're willing to be uncomfortable."

Todd will have to get through a lot more uncomfortable years as he awaits a decision on the appeal of his sentencing. The reality star's attorney spoke to Fox News Digital about the unfortunate living conditions he faces, which included an invasion of privacy. "Someone was allowed to take a photo of him while he was sleeping, and this is a result of his celebrity status," the attorney revealed.

Todd Chrisley has had limited contact with his wife, Julie Chrisley, since they both reported to their separate prison sentences at the beginning of 2023. Relying on a slow chain of communication in the prison system, his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, admitted her father relies on his children to keep up communication. "They're emailing a little bit. What's unfortunate is you have people in these prisons who are holding their mail. And that's mail fraud. So they are tampering with federal mail," Savannah told the Daily Mail in September 2023.

While he hasn't been able to verbally speak to his wife, he does manage to call home to his kids a few times a day. On "The Viall Files" podcast, the pageant queen admitted she talks with her dad on average twice a day, adding that they speak about "whatever we have going on, what my plans are for the day, the BS that's going on there, the kids, checking on them."

Savannah admitted that while she believes her father is doing his best to shield his kids from all the details of prison life, she's using her platform to bring awareness to changes she believes need to be made. "I've taken it as an opportunity to like make a difference, be outspoken, because I have a platform that can speak for people who may not be able to speak for themselves," she said.

Todd Chrisley may not have hair dye at his disposal in federal prison, but he does have his very own barber. On an August 2023 episode of "Unlocked," Savannah Chrisley admitted her father has had to make do with changes in his hairstyle while serving time. The podcast host explained that the press had criticized her father for not taking care of his looks, to which she responded: "They don't sell hair color in commissary, so of course his hair is gray. But you know what? I would tell him today, like if he was out, 'Keep it that way,' like it looks good."

Todd has even found a trusted barber at the Pensacola prison. "He's got a great prison barber. He's this Puerto Rican guy, he's very kind, he's got tattoos from his face down," Savannah added. While she's gotten used to her father's new look, the reality star admitted it was a bit shocking to see her father sporting a more rugged look. 

Just a month after he reported to prison, Savannah previously admitted on her "Unlocked" podcast that seeing her father in prison took some getting used to. "He's definitely used some color over the years and now seeing him with gray hair I'm like, oh my gosh, like this is really weird."