Todd Chrisley – Chrisley Knows Best

By starrymag | August 23, 2016

Q) What is the top advice you have for parents today?  

Todd Chrisley: I think that for me… I’m having to learn that sometimes I need to take a beat for a minute, take a pause and I need to sit still because raising children is certainly not for the faint of heart. But I think that when you are raising young adults, I would rather be dealing with high school kids than I would raising young adults.

So you send your kids out into the world, they get into college, and when you have elementary school and middle school and high school kids, you could control the environment that they were being placed in. Now when they leave for college you have to trust that what you have instilled in your child will carry them through.

And me being the kind of person that I am, I mean, I’m a fixer. I want to make sure that everything’s always right and that my kids are good and that no one’s complaining about my children doing or saying the wrong thing. And I do take it personal. I take it very personal when one of my kids falls or when they make a mistake, what have you, I truly carry that. And I’m having to learn that you know what? Someone else’s issue – I don’t necessarily have to drive by and pick it up.

Q) What are we going to see in the upcoming episode that you think will shock us or educate us?  

Todd Chrisley: Well you know, there’s always something that’s going to shock everyone when it comes to my family. I think that you know, with the kids being in college, Chase is always keeping me on my toes. Savannah has gotten to where she is – 19 as of August the 11th and she is all “I am woman, hear me roar.” I’d say she is the child that Gloria Steinem forgot to have.

I think that you’re going to see a lot of moving parts, in these back episodes, and there’s things that we’re filming right now… some of it’s great and some of it’s frustrating as a parent and some of it has caused us to shed tears over. And some of it has caused us to shed tears over the fact that you know, whatever child was going through it, they came out of it.

And they did it without having to rely on us 100%. So I think you’re going to see a lot of change in these back episodes. You’re going to see the kids growing up, you’re going to see them make mistakes, but you know that their recovery is getting quicker.

Q) I’m wondering how would you say this season compares to the previous ones?  

Todd Chrisley: I think this season’s going to be somewhat different because remember, you guys have been watching us since Chase and Savannah were 14 and 15. And they’re young adults now, and you know, they’re going out into the world and they’re in college and they’re you know, Chase is trying to pursue a career in real estate. Because listen, he has forgotten more than I’ve ever known.

And so I’m going through the struggles with that, and I’m still trying to teach a young adult. So I think that what you’re going to see coming up is you’re going to see kids in transition. You’re going to see parents doing the same thing that so many parents across this country are doing when their kids leave home, which is us trying to still micromanage to a certain degree, but how much we can micromanage?

I think that it becomes increasingly more difficult because they have an outside interference now they didn’t have before. And that’s significant others, and people that they think that they’re in love with and that hung the moon. And you know, they’re going to be with them until the day that they die, and I just want to bang my head against the concrete.

Q) So many wonderful opportunities have arisen from your time on this show, including your duet with Sara Evans. Is there anything else you haven’t tackled yet that you’d love to try and get into and experience?  

Todd Chrisley: You know, the duet was a beautiful song that (Shane Stevens) and I wrote about mine and Julie’s relationship – how we started – and Sara’s been a friend of mine for a long time, and the song was very well received. I mean, I was at dinner last night with Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison with Rascal Flatts, and you know, we’re going to do something together.

So I’m certainly going to be working – I’m working right now on my clothing line. Savannah’s working on her clothing line. Savannah has a deal with Home Shopping Network, that that she has signed off on that she’s doing with Giuliana Rancic and so that’s going to be coming out I think in November.

So you know, we’ve been very blessed with opportunities. I think that certainly you know, to whom much is given, much is required. I think that we certainly have an obligation because of all the blessing we’ve been given to make sure that we’re making an impact in other people’s lives as well. And I think that you’ll see that in these back episodes that we’re filming right now.

Q) I’m an avid watcher and so is my family, and I’m a fangirl. I love your mom.  

Todd Chrisley: I told her she was going to get her own show because I was tired of her stealing my fans.

Q) You’ve got to get a spin-off or something. We’ve got to get her her own series or something.

Todd Chrisley: She is amazing. We are so blessed. You know, let me tell you something. There are so many good women in this world that have raised great children that I firmly believe that I have been blessed with one of the finest mothers that has ever walked. And she is just a good decent, honest, caring, hardworking woman that has always placed her children first and then her grandchildren.

And I think that she has reached the point in her life at 71 to where she literally told me two days ago, “You need to find a life and get out of mine.” I said, “Mama, you don’t say that to your child.” She said, “Well, Todd, you’ve aggravated the living hell out of me.” And she says, “And I’m going to the casino and I’m not going to listen to this no more, so you can get mad if you want to. By the time I get back you’ll be over it.”

Q) Well even at her age and your age and my age, I still feel like our parents are teaching us every single day that we get the opportunity, you know, to have them in our lives. And unfortunately my grandparents have passed away but my parents thankfully are wonderful and they’re alive and well, and I feel like though when I watch your show that I’m you know, sort of a part of the family.   I think that’s what makes the show so wonderful is that you feel like you are a Chrisley, or you would want to be a Chrisley. And I want to ask, what do you think about the show sort of lends to that, you know, why you feel like you have all these core members but like you have these sort of side members, I feel like I’m a family and a side member of your family.

Todd Chrisley: I think we did that, so exactly what you just said, and it makes us feel – it makes our hearts overflow with joy that we have people that truly feel like they can come and sit down at our table and have dinner, and I think that the reason for that is because we try to give you 110% reality of what’s going on in our lives.

And I don’t sugar coat it, I don’t hide it, I let you see the good, the bad, the ugly, the happy, the pain – I let you see all of that. And all of that is what makes each of us who we are, and so for us to be able to go out into a mall or go out to dinner and people come up and tell me what’s going on with their children or what’s going on with a spouse, you know, or an ailing parent or what have you, it truly just verifies to me that this is where God wants me to be at this point in my life. And so I’m very appreciative that you feel that way.

Q) I do love watching the show so much, and I feel like a lot of times too, your struggles are something that are so relatable and you deal with them all with these great grains of salt. How much salt are we going to see coming up this – these coming episodes?

Todd Chrisley: Let me put it to you this way. Let’s just put it this way, you can say that I have been down in the salt mines.

Q) Well I think between, like you said – you have these two growing adults, not grown adults but growing adults that you’re raising and I feel like you know, when I watch them – like you said, they started when they were 14 and 15 and to see them as growing adults has been such a wonderful journey as well to see and experience alongside of them.  

Todd Chrisley: Well you know, and you know, I said to Savannah the other night that you know, where she’s dating someone that we don’t particularly care for, and I told her, I said, “Listen, honey,” I said, “I have raised you to be a strong, independent, assertive, caring, respectable young lady,” and I said, “And what you need to remember is that any time a woman has to spend her day making excuses for her man, she is with the wrong man.” I said, “Because all that man’s doing is standing in the way of a good man coming along.”

Q) In the season opener, we see you renewing your vows with Julie once again. So as Chase reaches the age where he might be looking to get a little serious pretty soon, what advice do you have for him when he comes to choosing a soulmate? Like what can you draw from your relationship with Julie that’ll help Chase out?  

Todd Chrisley: Well let’s just put it this way. There are very few Julies left in this world. I was very lucky. I don’t think that any of us know at 20 years old where you know, that we’re going to find our soulmate or what you need to be doing. But I mean, I have taught Chase his entire life to be respectful and to always remember that the girl that he’s looking to date is someone else’s daughter, sister, grandchild, niece, or best friend and that he should treat them with respect.

But I have also taught Chase that, even before the show, I always tried to tell my children to try to find someone that they were evenly yoked with, that comes from the same core value system, that they have similarities with, that they find comfort in sharing their darkest day with because to have that – to have something in common.

I think that now with the show it adds another layer because we have to worry about the intentions of some – you know, if they’re there for the right intention. So I tell Chase every day that listen, you know, a chick can’t act like she deserves Louboutins when she’s acting like flip-flops. I mean, don’t be out here dating girls that have no respect for themselves, because if they don’t respect themselves they’re not going to respect you.

And so I just tell Chase every day to make sure he keeps it clean, that he respects someone else’s child, and that he does not do anything that he would be ashamed for his mother to find out.

Q) Chase is actually one of my favorites on the show, I just love him and I was able to see previews of some of the episodes coming up, I know he’s going to have a little episode where his wisdom tooth’s getting pulled out. Without spoiling too much, what’s one of the funniest or craziest scenes we’ll see this season?

Todd Chrisley: I’m not going to lie to you, the wisdom teeth – I mean, if you’ve seen it then you know. I mean, I got a lot of joy out of that, as morbid as it is, I did get joy out of it, I’m so sick and tired of hearing him tell me he’s a grown-ass man while he’s laying there crying like a baby.

So I did get a certain amount of satisfaction out of that, but I don’t know that – there are so many things that are so funny in this season. I mean, like the juice bar, you know, we did a commercial for the juice bar and my mother – there are two or three episodes this season in these back episodes where my mother has literally stolen from everyone and doesn’t even have a clue that she’s doing it.

So there’s just so many things that have been good in these episodes that you guys have got coming up, and the great episodes that we’re shooting right now. Oh my, my mother is something special.

Q) I was wondering what was the best part of doing lip sync battles? It looked like you had a lot of fun there.  

Todd Chrisley: You know, I was competing against someone that I like very much – NeNe Leakes. She and I are friends, and you know, it was an opportunity for me to go out and have a good time and not worry about anything. And it was just very carefree. I’m good friends with Chrissy Teigen and it was just a very good environment to be in.

Q) You didn’t mind that you didn’t win? It’s okay?  

Todd Chrisley: Oh, no. I mean, listen, the bitch stole my title, so I mean, you know, I mean, there’s going to be a rematch.

Q) How are things going with you and Kyle? Is everything is getting better?

Todd Chrisley: I don’t discuss my oldest son. He’s not on the show.

Q) So are we going to see any big trips? Are there going to be any new trips coming along out of town?  

Todd Chrisley: In these back five I don’t believe so. I think you’ll see in the episodes coming up that we did take a trip to Hawaii.

Q) Nice, so I’m looking forward to that. So I’m sure you guys had a good time in Hawaii, right?  

Todd Chrisley: We did, we had a very nice time.

Q) I just wondered what do you think that you’ve learned about yourself over the course of doing these past four seasons of the show?  

Todd Chrisley: I think that the show has been very liberating, not only for myself but for my family as a whole, because it has brought us closer together and it’s caused us to have less concern about someone else’s opinion of us.

Q) What’s your best sales pitch to get people to watch your show?  

Todd Chrisley: You know, I don’t do a sales pitch, because I feel like that we are so blessed to have someone tune in and watch our show because just like you said, there is so much content out there. So I feel such an obligation to make sure that we’re being honest and sincere and that everything that we go through in our lives is being given to you so then may be viewers won’t make some of the mistakes that we’ve made, or take something that works for us that will prevent you from making a mistake. So I think that the best way for me to ask you to watch our show is by me being who I truly am.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*