Lindsie Chrisley Talks Thanksgiving Heartache With Parents Todd & Julie in Prison

Julie, Todd and Lindsie Chrisley
Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Concert For Love And Acceptance

There will be no huge turkey family dinner for Todd and Julie Chrisley this year, as the incarcerated couple will spend Thanksgiving behind bars with nothing but prison food on the menu and fellow inmates for company.

However, according to Lindsie Chrisley, Todd and Julie didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving last year either. That’s because, on November 21, 2022, the couple was sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal prison for bank and tax fraud.

Following the news, the reality stars weren’t particularly in the mood for celebrating.

“We had no idea what was gonna happen for the holidays, but the general plan was that we were all going to be in Tennessee at my parents’ house,” Lindsie said on the latest episode of PodcastOne’s Coffee Convos.

“Once the sentencing came down, my parents wanted no one in their home,” she continued. “I completely understand. Your world has just been rocked, and the last thing I would want to be doing is entertaining anyone.”

The surprises didn’t stop there, though, as Lindsie revealed, “Next day, my biological mom shows up in my driveway. It’s just me, her and [my son] Jackson at my house.”

The Chrisley family

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Lindsie is the daughter of Todd and his first wife, Teresa Terry, who are also the parents of Lindsie’s brother, Kyle Chrisley. Lindsie also shares half-siblings Savannah, Chase, and Grayson Chrisley, who are Todd and Julie’s children.

“It ended up being good because I didn’t feel like I had to be alone, and Jackson had someone to play with if I wanted to be in my sad girl era,” Lindsie added of her mom’s surprise visit. “So that part was good. But I just feel like I was so overwhelmed… I didn’t know what to expect or what to do.”

Lindsie and her family ended up spending last Thanksgiving at a local Cracker Barrel, which didn’t quite have the same feel as the usual Chrisley holiday get-togethers.

“I will not lie to you guys; I did not think the food was great at Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving,” she shared. “I think I had the experience you had where you’re used to one thing and you have something else, it just doesn’t feel like home… it was just a very nontraditional Thanksgiving.”

Todd and Julie reported to prison back in January, with Todd serving his sentence at FPC Pensacola in Florida and Julie at FMC Lexington in Kentucky. Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years, which has since been reduced to 10, while Julie’s original seven-year sentence has been cut to just over five years.

Savannah and Chase have spoken publicly about the alleged conditions their parents have been facing in prison, including mistreatment from guards, lack of air conditioning, mold, and incorrect medical treatment.

“I mean, it’s all awful; our federal system is all out of whack, and there needs to be reform and change,” Savannah said in a recent interview. “People are living in inhumane conditions, people are dying in these prisons, and they sweep it under the rug. The people who are running the prisons are the corrupt ones, so they should be in there themselves.”