Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe - Todd & Julie Chrisley | The Rise, The Fall, and the Chrisley Comeback!

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

#885. America’s favorite reality TV family is back and here to tell their truth!Todd and Julie Chrisley sit down with Kaitlyn Bristowe for a raw, emotional, and surprisingly funny conversation about life after the headlines — from how Chrisley Knows Best really began (hint: it all started at Fashion Week!) to the rise, the fall, and the comeback everyone’s been waiting for.They open up about being separated for 28 months, the unexpected friendships they made on the inside, and how they managed to stay connected when they couldn’t speak for over two years. The couple also discusses their presidential pardon, their work in prison reform, and what they’re doing now to help others who feel wrongfully accused.True to form, the Chrisleys bring humor, heart, and a dose of Southern fire to every story — proving that even after everything, their resilience (and wit) still shine through.If you’re LOVING this podcast, please follow and leave a rating and review below! PLUS, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST INSTAGRAM HERE!Thank you to our Sponsors! Check out these deals!Better Help: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHELP.com/VINE.Bombas: Head over to Bombas.com/vine and use code vine for 20% off your first purchase.Chewy: This Halloween, make your pets be part of the celebration. Shop costumes, toys, and treats with Chewy! Go to Chewpanions.chewy.com/OFFTHEVINEPODCAST to get $20 off your first order.Nutrafol: For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code VINE.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: (1:50) – Todd and Julie share how Chrisley Knows Best first came to be — from a chance meeting at Fashion Week to landing nine network offers.(19:52) – The Chrisleys reveal why they believe they were targeted because of their celebrity status.(31:50) – Todd and Julie compare their very different prison experiences and how each coped with life inside.(41:50) – The couple opens up about not being able to speak for two and a half years while serving their sentences.(57:00) – Todd explains how he’s now involved in prison reform and helping others impacted by the system.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connix Ontario at 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. But MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. This episode of Off the Vine is brought to you by BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelphelp.com slash vine. Bombas, head over to bombas.com slash vine and use code Vine for 20% off your first purchase. Chewy, this Halloween, make your pets be part of the celebration, shop costumes, toys, and treats with Chewy.

Go to chewpanions.com slash off the vine podcast to get $20 off your first order. And Nutraful. For a limited time, neutropholes offering our list. $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code Vine. You're listening to Off the Vine with Caitlin Bristow. Hey, Vinoes, real quick, if you are listening right now, which obviously you are, you wouldn't be hearing this, can you hit the subscribe or follow button on whatever platform you're on?

Please, that one simple thing helps more than you even realize it allows me to keep growing on this podcast and making these episodes the best they can possibly be obviously for you. That's the only favorite I'm going to ever ask, okay? It truly means the world to me. Thank you. Now, let's get into it. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Off the Vine.

I have two very special guests today that need no introduction, but I'm going to give them on anyways. They have lived their lives in front of America for over a decade now, starring in the hit show Chris Lee Knows Best. We've watched them as parents. We've watched them as entrepreneurs and entertainers, but the last couple of years, obviously their story has took a dramatic turn to say the least. So after facing very public trials and time away from their family, they are back home. They are reunited. And they're just

ready to share the next chapter of their lives with a lot of life lessons that they've taken along the way. So I am honored to have Todd and Julie Crisley here with me today on Off the Vine. Okay. So I want to start like back, back back at the beginning. Like before cameras, before reality TV, everything, before all the headlines got headlines. Before basically how the So how did that show even come to be? Like, were you guys in the spotlight? Did you know famous people and they were like, you guys need a show? How did it happen? No, we were not, we were not in the spotlight. Julie owned a real estate company in Georgia, yeah, Alpharetta. And I owned an outsource company of real estate. And our life had always been real estate. Yeah. And we had done very well in real estate. And someone approached us. I was at fashion. week in New York with my daughters and someone approached me and said we've just been watching you you know I am a producer and would love to talk to you about doing a show and this was after like

three days of us being with her yeah and they're in fashion week one thing led to another it was conversations that continued for about two weeks and she said um can we come into a sizzle rail yeah and I didn't even know what that was right what is the sizzle wheel and um I said well what is the She said, we would just follow you around, you know, for a couple of days. And she said, and just see what we get. Yeah. And so I went to Julian, Jude, who was the consummate, kind, sweet human being, just never wants to hurt anyone's feelings. And she said, you can't tell her no. I mean, just do it. Just do it. She said, it's just a couple of days and we'll be, you know, you'll be done with it. But it wasn't something that we ever thought about doing. It wasn't,

it wasn't like, we're like, okay, we're going to try to get a reality show. There was none of that. Like we had great careers, we were living our best life. Right, exactly. And so we agreed to it. They came and they filmed it for like three days, four days. Yeah, maybe just a few days. We didn't hear anything else, you know, for I guess it was about six weeks. Yeah.

And then I get a phone call from her and Adam, this woman and Adam Greener, who was... Oh, I know Adam Greener. Yes. And so Adam called and said, we would like to fly to Atlanta to meet with you. Mm-hmm. And I said, for what? And he said, we have a show. We've pitched the sizzle and we pitched it to 10 networks. And we've got nine offers. Wow. And I said, what? I said, we're not doing a show. And he said, that's what, Mr. Christi, I just want, I just want to come. I'm willing to fly. I'll get on the plane today. No way. And so I said, well, we're actually coming to L.A. tomorrow. And because we had a home out there at the time as well. And so we went out there and we met at the point. Polo Lounge. Yeah. And he, all the kids were with us. And he said, we have, we have submitted the sizzle. He said, a sizzles normally no more than like four, four to six minutes. And he says, and yours is so good. He said, we left it at 12. And he said, and we think it's the first episode of

the show. No way. And so long story short, we get into negotiations. And I remember, you know, I wanted the show to be on Ead. Yeah. Because I felt like that. you know, look at what Chris had done with the Kardashians. Right. And we didn't have the blowjob. So, I mean, I'm just thinking, you know, you know. And so I just said, well, I want it to be on E. So I remember having a phone conversation with Bonnie Hammer, who was the head of programming.

She was the CEO of USA Network. I remember getting on a phone call with her and Adam and one of my attorneys. And she said, well, Mr. Krista, she said, you've actually done something that has not happened in my career. And I said, what is that? And she said, you've got three of my networks bidding against each other. No way. And I said, well, that's a good thing then, right? And she said, well, for you it is. For us, it's not. Yeah. And she said, tell me why you want to be on E. And I said, well, look at what Chris Jenner has done with her family on E. Built a huge empire. Exactly. And, you know, and those girls are some of the hardest working girls that I've ever known

in my life. And Chris is to be credited for a lot of that. And she said, yeah, but we, you know, you're different. Y'all are a different family. You're like the very southern family of the Cardatch. Right. And that's what they said. And so, you know, she said, let's, I want you to be on USA Network. Well, I had never watched USA. And I said, all I knew was Eve because of my girl's watching the Kardashians. Right. And I said, but I don't, she said, Mr. Chrysley, here's what I'll do. If you will agree to come to USA, she says, then I will air the original episodes on USA

and the next night we will air them on E. Perfect. Yeah. She says, and then we're going to air them on Bravo. Oh, my God. We're going to see where your footing is. What year is this? This was in 2013, 12, 13?

Yeah, 12. 13, I think. Yeah, early 13, I think. And so she was as good as her word. Yeah. And the show ended up being one of the biggest shows on USA Network. It was WWE and us. Oh, my gosh. Go figure, right?

Match made in heaven. Yeah. That's, so do you remember like a moment where you're like, okay, we're, we're like famous? Like, people are recognizing us. Like, did you ever feel that way? I never felt famous. I know I think that we certainly knew that we were being recognized. Yeah, that's what I always say about reality TV.

I'm like, I don't feel famous. I feel like people can recognize. Right, exactly, because I think that, you know, I think to say that we're famous, I mean, I think you're famous if you win an Academy Award or you've won a, you know, you win an Emmy. Yeah. You know, I think that's famous. Well, I feel like the definitions also changed because now like TikTok people can be famous. Yeah, absolutely.

If you're recognizable, well, they think you're famous. Yeah. And I just think that that term is used so loosely that it's lost value. Yeah. I agree because I always thought of famous as like the Brad Pitts. That's right. That's right. And then the A list.

That's right. Exactly, the A list. So whenever people are like, oh, your faith, like people from my small town back home and they're like, you're famous, I'm like, I'm really not. I'm the exact same person. I have done nothing special except be myself. And people recognize me for that. But you know, that's a beautiful part about reality television is that you don't have to study a script. You don't have to learn your lines. You can just be you. It's nice. So in a lot of ways, I look at reality television and just in reality in general, that which is best. better, someone falling in love with you because of the character that you played and then falling in love with that character or actually falling in love with you for being you. Totally. And even vice versa, like, somebody hating me for just being me. I'm like, okay with that at some point because you're like, well, I always say like this line from Kurt Cobain actually when he was like, I'd rather be hated for who I am than like for somebody that I'm not. That's right. And I just, I live by that line all the time because I think it's great to be

polarizing. I think it's great to have like people have opinions and maybe not agree with you because I'm like, you know what, I probably wouldn't like you either. Well, you know, and, you know, we just had, we just did something the other, oh, I was doing another interview yesterday. Yeah. Yesterday. And I was asked, you know, what is the difference? How do you feel, you know, with so many opinions? And I said, I think that it's a beautiful thing. I says, it's a beautiful world. I says, when we can all have an opinion and be respectful of it. And you don't have to agree with the way that I believe. I don't have to agree with the way you believe.

But we do have to agree that each of us have the right to believe what we believe. That's right. I get so fired up in the world of politics and religion. I'm like, why are we so angry at what somebody else believes? Right. If that is something that's wrong to think. If we all thought the same. It would be terrible.

I don't want to be in a room. I don't have friends that, you know, necessarily believe the way that I believe on all kinds of things. Yeah. You know? And I just think that's what makes it. But I feel like you guys, your whole family just has that kind of outlook on life, which does also make for good TV. But TV is also business, which I feel like you both understand both sides of it, you know,

like how to make good TV, but also the business side of television. So did you notice that pretty quickly? Like when you watch the first season back, were you like, oh, that's us. Like they're portraying us pretty accurately. Did you feel like there was some editing that was happening? And you're like, I get it. It's TV. I think it was the first three episodes that I started stepping in and saying, no, wait a minute.

Really? We're not doing that. Oh, good for you. That's not who we are. Yeah. Yeah. And there were things that were portrayed that weren't. That they sensationalized.

They sensationalized. You know, they took a little bit of this. You know, because you want those drama-filled moments. You know, you want those gotcha moments. Yeah. But we try to keep that to a minimum. Yeah. How do you keep your boundaries with that and your family while also knowing how to make good

TV. I think that you have to truly be true to who you are. Yeah, I agree. And you cannot waver on your core value system. Yeah. And remember, we're parents first. Yeah, right. So we're still protecting our children in the, in the midst of all of this. Yeah. And I think even we told them, I mean, from day one, you know, remember, if you don't put it out there, it's not out there. Right. You know, if you put it out there, it's fair game. And you, and the kids would sometimes had to learn that. That's right. And they would sometimes get upset.

Can you believe that? I said, no, no, no. Production didn't do shit. Yeah. You did it. You gave them that to serve to the world. Yeah, it's true. So when you stop giving it to them, they don't have it to give back.

Right. But it's so hard because I'm always in like either this side of it, interviewing or on the other side. Like, I always want to give a good interview and I always want to like give them good material. And then sometimes I'm like, I'm like, I said too much. That's like a memoir by Caitlin Bristow. said too much. But I'm like, well, I want to be true to myself. And I've always been just like a total open book in my life.

I'm not shy about any topic or conversation. And I think that's, I do think that's what they look for when they're looking for people to be on TV. Like obviously on Bachelor World, we're going to get the villains and the people who like are truly there for love and the people that are just, I was there for just a good time. I was like, what's this experience going to be like? If I find love, great. If I make good TV, great.

Like, I'm just going to be myself. I want everybody to watch and say, oh, that's Caitlin. Right. You know, I think that's really important. I feel like, you know, that is polarizing to people, but love your family, have opinions on your family. You're all very true to yourselves. You know, when I was at my summer camp for 28 months. Summer camp, my friend's dad called the college.

Right. Busted summer camp. But I found that one of the nicest things that I've ever had said to me was, you know, you're exactly the same person. on TV. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have people say that all the time. Yeah. Yeah. Not just there, but whether you're in the grocery store or whatever, you know, it's like, oh my gosh, you're the same way that you are on TV. Yeah. Yeah. Good. That's what it's supposed to be. That is a good thing. I had one, I had one come up to me the other day and go to me and Chase and she goes, y'all are so much

better looking in person. Yes. And so I walked away and Chase because that was so nice as it wasn't. Yeah. I know. Like, oh, my gosh, you look so much younger. I'm like, oh. I'm like, no, I I don't know that that was a compliment. I think that was a sidehand. I think that all the time. People have said that to me too. And I'm like, well, do I look bad on TV or do I look worse in photos?

And I'm like, but I guess I'd rather the other way around, or this way around, you know, where they're like, oh, you look instead of being like, oh, God, you look better in your photos. I guess those people just don't say it to us. That's right. If you could go back in time, would you change the way you did anything on TV? I know that's a hard question because I personally am probably the same way as you where I go. Well, it wouldn't be, we wouldn't have learned all these lessons. We wouldn't be where we are without it.

I try not to look back and say I would have done that differently because I think there's always something you would do differently now that you can look back at it. But at the time, I would like to think that we made the best decisions that we could make based on the situation at hand. Yeah, I agree. The benefit of hindsight is you can look back and be like, oh, woulda, coulda, should have, but you can't. So you have to accept everything that you've done and that's happened. And you, I mean, you've just raised such strong, right? Like, Savannah, I'm like, if anyone is going to be in my corner, I want it to be her.

Yes. Gosh. That seems to be the country's general consensus right now. She's so smart. Like, I was so impressed by her, and we'll get into that. But I was just so impressed by her, even just the first time I met her, just how she carries herself, how she interviews people, how she speaks up and how I love loud people. Right. Because I am also a loud person.

And I think it's important to have people like that. And it was just really cool to see her fight for you guys, but also just who she is in general. You know what I mean? Well, you know, it should from, you know, from one woman to another, you should cheer her on. Totally. She should cheer you on.

Yeah. Right. Because my girls were raised that there, we didn't, I didn't place limits on them. And if they wanted, you know, Savannah would always say, well, I can throw that football. I can do. And I said, you're not throwing footballs. That's not what you're doing. Because, you know, here we are in the side.

mouth and we're raising a little girl. And I remember her just dropping her head down in that moment when she did that, my heart broke. And I said, do you think you can do it? Yes, Daddy, I can. I said, then go do it. And from that point on, she went and did. And anything she signed up for, that was a big thing with Julie. If you signed up for it, you're completing it. Yeah. Yeah. So anything they signed up for, she made them complete and see it through. And when she wanted to start riding horses. I said, I don't want you on a horse. You could get hurt. And she cried and she says, but dad, I'm not going to get hurt. And if I do, it won't be bad. And I remember because she was about eight years old. I remember taking her to the barn that day. And she thought she was just

going by to feed the horses. Yeah. And when she got to the stall, it had Carebear's name. That was her horse's name. And I said, she said, oh, we have the new one. And I said, yeah. And I remember Christina. saying, that's your pony. Oh, yeah. And she just looked at me and she says, no way. And I said, yes, and said, Kristen showed her tack, trunk and all of her stuff. And she ended up being number one and number two in Hunter jumping forever. She's just got that grit, huh?

She does. And, you know, I think that she's, she's suffered heartache. You know, she has suffered breakups. And, you know, we lost Nick, who was her former fiancé. And that was hard on her. And she did not have, it happened at a time where she could not. truly process it the way she needed to because we were not here to help her. And so now she's kind of working through that. Yeah. And so I watch her every day and the level of amazement and

pride that I have in her, she is just a good, decent, honorable human being. And when you can say that about your child and your daughter, I feel like that's a blessing. I mean, it is, it's, I love hearing you guys talk about your kids too because it's the pride but also you're like that is that is a testament to parents as well and that's got to feel really good and you get proud of yourself as well because you're like i'm so proud of this person and i'm proud of myself for raising this kind of these kinds of decent human beings absolutely and she like trying to make a difference in the world and just standing up for what's right and like i just yeah i feel like i heard you say in an interview watching your child step into their purpose is like the best thing a parent could watch

And I can't imagine that. It's like all that hard work because it is a lot of work. And I feel like we put in a lot of work in a lot of years. And to see that happen for your child, it is like the ultimate like, okay. It was all worth it. She's involved, you know, with Turning Point and, you know, Charlie Kirk and she was very close with him. And she's, you know, in a battle right now with a local school about, you know, letting these children worship and what have you. And she was on the phone with me yesterday and she was telling me

about a situation. And I said, see, and there, right there. Right there is why we went through what we went through. Yeah. I said, God had us to go through what we went through. So you could be strong enough today because you would not have the platform because, listen, she had a huge platform before this happened. But the platform that she has today is much different. She's not, yes, she was a former reality star. But Savannah is in her own right now. Yeah. You know, Savannah walks into rooms with, you know, with heads of countries and, you know, and congressmen and senators. And, you know, I don't know that I necessarily am proud of that at certain times. But, you know, she, she was able to go into rooms that she wasn't invited to. Yes. And make her, you know,

voice heard. Yes. And I told her, I said, you would have never had that kind of strength to, to do what you did had we not had had had god not placed us in the fire in the pit yeah and i says and because of that we've all come out stronger yeah i mean that's something that i've i've really seen from just like social media you know everyone has their headlines or whatever but what i've seen is like the strongest family come back together and i think a lot of people would have pity parties or feel sorry for themselves or you know especially with the platform maybe like had the wrong things to say or behave in a certain way, but you guys have really made it like this happened for a reason. Obviously at the time that's hard to say, but it happened for a reason

and this is why we're stronger from it. And you can see why the why. Because I think a lot of times people have, I mean, I even do this where people always tell me like, God can handle you being mad because I'll get so mad and I'll go, why? Like, why would, if there's God, why is this happening and you're able to have the why? Right. Well, and I say, and why not? You know, Like what makes us any better than anybody else to have to go through hard things to have to have to struggle? That's exactly right. But do you think being in the spotlight they were using you guys as an example? Absolutely.

Well, I mean, you know, the inspector general in the state of Georgia has completed their investigation. And in their report, they state that based on the information that we have uncovered, the chrises were targeted. And I'm quoting, the chrises were targeted due to their celebrity status. Wow. Yeah. So that's in the Inspector General's report. So, and then I guess this is a silly question then because I would be like, well, are you in any way like, oh, we should have never done TV? This all wouldn't have happened or you really are in a place where you're like, I see why this all happened.

I don't really have a lot of regrets. Yeah. Now, of course there are days that you're like, okay, you know, if, again, if we hadn't done this, we wouldn't, this would not have happened. Or you would think that it wouldn't have happened, you know. But, you know, if you're doing. I don't know. Right. But when you think about it, Caitlin,

should you not be able in this country to pursue your passion or to pursue your career without fear of retribution? Yeah. Without fear of being targeted? Mm-hmm. Should you not be able to love who you love

without fear of being targeted? I know. It's, you see it happen a lot with people getting made examples of. And, but there's also like the other side of it where the other day I got pulled over and I was saying this before we started recording, but I was like, oh my gosh, talk about white pretty famous privilege because he was like,

he wanted a photo with me, he let me go. He was, I was, I deserved a big slap on the wrist. I was going quite fast. And I was like, oh, my gosh, because of my status, he was like, oh, my God, my girlfriend watches this and oh, my God, this, can we take a photo? And I was like, oh, my gosh. So it's hard when it's the other way around. Well, you know, I mean, listen, I've talked about that, and we both have.

that, you know, I'm very involved in prison reform now. Oh. And I know that from where I was, that I was treated entirely different than the other men that were there. Interesting. And especially young men of color. Yeah. Like when I got there, they were waiting for me. You know, they walked me in.

Yeah. You know, I didn't have to go through all the processes that everyone else had to go through. I had people in the prison camp, you know, correctional officers. that would ask, can you take a picture with me? Really? And I did. And I did take these photographs with them. But I watched how these other men were treated.

So when you talk about, I call it social privilege. You know, you have social privilege. That's a good word, yeah. And we certainly have had social privilege. And in my interview yesterday, I said that, you know, to whom much is given, much is required. And that, yes, I am a Republican. and I'm proud of that, but I'm kind of down the middle. I'm not, I don't believe that our country is served well by swinging all the way to the right and I don't believe it served well by

swinging all the way to the left. But we all do need to coexist. Yes. And I said yesterday in that interview, I said, I just want to be kind. Yeah. I want my family to be kind. Yeah. And I said and treat people well. Right. Treat people well. Yeah. And I'm not here to judge. you. And I think that that's where, you know, Christianity gets a bad rap because, you know, you want to sit and say, oh, well, I'm a Christian, but then in the same breath as you've identified as a Christian, you're tearing someone down with the words that you're saying, or you are judging their lifestyle, or the choices that they've made, or the bad decisions that have happened in their life. And, you know, Julie and I have always been very good about saying, be careful about

spitting up in the air because you don't know where it's going to land. And, you know, when you have children. You really don't. You don't know where it's going to like. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm not going to go out here and talk poorly about, you know, well, I don't believe in this and I don't believe in that because I actually don't, I think I know where our children stand on the vast majority of the topics, but they're still very young. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know. And regardless, we're going to support them. Exactly. Regardless of what my, you know, my children stood with me in my darkest hour. So I'm certainly going to stand with them regardless. artist of what their decisions are.

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Oh, yeah, yeah. But if you're going to federal prison, it is not like the jail. There's any, depending on where you are, like where I was, it was 370 guys. Okay. You were what? Somewhere around, anywhere from 150 to 250. Right. Okay.

You know, in the jail, you might have 12 people. Oh, I see. Okay. Jail's usually like a shorter term, a county jail. It's usually a county is what it is. It's like where you would have gone had you been driving and got pulled over. you would have gone to the County Jail. Oh my God.

I always had that question because I remember I interviewed Mike the situation from Jersey Shore. And he made a comment about how different there. And then I forgot what he said. So I was just going to throw that out there and ask. But when you're experiencing that like day one, I know you got like a bit of a different treatment. But what are you feeling going in like walking in? And you're like, this is my new reality.

Are you feeling like I have hoped there's going to be light at the end of the tunnel? Are you like, this is my darkest day? Like, what are you feeling? For me, I was, of course, I was devastated. I was sad. You know, I was separated from Todd from my kids. But I think our situation had gone on for so long. Since 2012.

Yeah. Oh, wow. So when I walked through those doors, I was like, okay, this is the beginning. This is what I know I have to do. And there was almost this like, a side relief. Wow, interesting. Because it was over. The unknown was over. Yes. The unknown was over. And I was like, okay, I can do this. You know, and yes, there were hard times and hard days. But it was a little, you could see this, it was going to end at some point. And, you know, everyone handles it differently. You know, that's the way that Julie handled it. I was leaving the moment I walked in. Really? Yeah. In my mind, I'm not staying here. This is not what I'm, this is not what I'm going to be. And so every day when I got up, I was, that was the day that was the day that I was. could possibly leave. Okay. I mean, that's how I lived. How long were you in there?

28 months. 28 months. So, my gosh, two and a half years. Do you end, after that amount of time, do you almost end up, like, feeling a bit of sadness leaving there? Because you're like, I made so many friendships. You do make a lot of friendships. And you know, and Julie and I both have maintained these relationships and will for the rest of our lives. Yeah. Because it's easy to go out here and meet someone at a restaurant and you sit and have a glass of wine or you're talking and whatever. And you're like, okay, you know, we're friends versus going to war and being in the trenches with someone. And, you know, when you're sharing food and you're sharing a living quarter and, you know, you're listening to the horror of their stories. I mean, I don't have

anyone, my story doesn't compare to anyone that would come and sit down and talk to me. And so I can remember, you know, I would say, God, thank you for. for letting them give me their testimony because it just reinforces in me how blessed I am that I've never gone through this. Yeah. Because, and for women, it's different. You know, there was most of the time around 200,

around 200 women there. But we were in one building. So, you know, like he said, you're eating, you're sleeping beside someone else. You know, you're watching television, you're working, you're doing all these things. So it's not like a friend that you'd see once a week or once every couple weeks or whatever. You're with them every single day.

It becomes like a sibling relationship because you're there every single day. This is not a comparison. But I think about being in the Bachelor Mansion. Like we had no phone, no TV, no communication with it. We couldn't read books. We just only had each other. You're forced to be in this house with these people. You don't know them from any background.

And you really do bond with certain people. And some of it, you sure call it trauma bonding. Some of them, you're just like, wow, we would be friends in the outside world. Some people, you're like, I'm going to put up with this because I have to live with you and I'm going to see the good in this. There's so many different relationships. Well, I think all of what you just said is what exists. Yes. What is a big misconception that happens in prison?

Well, we were both in camps. So there was nothing that happened in our camps. There was no violence. There was no walks. There was, you know. Literally, if you wanted to walk out the door, you could walk out the door and get in a car and leave. Now, they're going to come after you, but, and they're... Well, they're not, the marshalies.

Yeah, the marshals are, but you could. Like, there was no locks. Okay. Like, there was no, you're not locked anywhere. You're not, it's just not that way. And I was at a, I was at a decommissioned military base for the Navy. So it was kind of like, it was barracks. Yeah.

You know, it was like barracks where the military officers stayed. Yeah, yeah. So did you find, like, routine there? Did you work out? Did you find a way to eat healthy? Like, how did you stay? eating healthy is not easy there at all. I was going to say. We again handled it very differently. I broke the rules. She didn't. I worked. I worked every day. Like that was my thing because it gave me a sense of routine of purpose. It helped my time go by faster because it's like, okay, I'm working Monday through Friday. You know, then I would have a visit on the weekends and then I'm back to another week, you know? And so for me, that's how I got through it.

he on the other hand was a little different um you know my camp was different because again men and women are very very different yeah yeah women tell everything men have been trained from early on you know by their fathers you know men don't talk and so yes there were cell phones that you're not supposed to have but they were everywhere it was like it was like a Verizon store there and you know and you had you know you had staff members that approached me and said, you know, I can get you food from the street, you know, if you want it. And so, you know, if I ordered, you know, pizza or Chick-fil-A or whatever for all the people in my dorm or in my room, they would bring it in. And so whatever that was, I should say,

it was $1,000, they got paid $1,000. Got it. And so I had Chick-fil-A, Pizza Hut, Culvers. And she had no, she had no street food for 28 months. Were you like comparing notes when you got out? Like, I never saw a cell phone. Never saw a cell phone, never saw outside food. But tell her why you didn't see a cell phone. It just wasn't there. Now, it was there because you say it, because everyone was worried about them telling on each other. You know, whereas the men tend to kind of come together.

That's true. It's a brotherhood. It's them against everyone else. That's right. It's a brotherhood. Now, that would be nice if women did that. Yes. Yeah, that would be really nice.

But women have not been conditioned to do that. Right. Women have been conditioned to be pitted against each other. Always. I mean, it was my season of The Bachelorette. They made two bachelorets go against each other. And the men had to decide who they wanted to be the bachelorette. Okay, Halloween is coming up. And if you're like me, you want your pets to be part of the fun to, without any chaos, finding costumes that actually fit, toys that actually fit, toys that actually fit, toys that actually fit, and the treats that I always turn to Chewy. I love chewy. And I love that I can get everything in one place, whether it's food, treats, toys, even supplies for horses, which is on my bucket list, on my dream list. Birds, not on my dream list. dreamless, fish, reptiles, and other small pets. And it all shows up at my door in a day or two,

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You know, we were the darlings of television. I mean, our show was one of the highest rated shows on television. And in this country, we love to build people up just to tear them down. The only thing that we love better than building someone up is to tear them down. Yeah, absolutely. Especially now. Yes. you know, the good thing for me, the bad thing for the people that did it is that I have a long

memory. So, you know, when those offers come in now, I'd really like to sit down with Mr. Crisley. I want to have this. And I'm like, um, Alexa, go look at this interview that was done in 2019. Obsessed. By this person. Yeah.

And this person is not allowed to interview us. Love receipts. And I'm good with, I mean, I listen, I am petty about it. certain values. And if I if I if you screwed me or my family over, my memory is long and for life. Yes. I am I am very petty in that way, but I think that's okay. It's, it has served me well because it's accountability. That's exactly right. You know, you can't just go out here and say things to people. Well, you can, but you should. But you also have to suffer the repercussions of it. I did the same thing. I remember there was a girl, I can't even remember her name

right now, but she was on, I think, this is like Betches' podcast, and she spoke horribly about me when I was on the show. And years, years later, she is trying to get me on her podcast, and I just keep saying no. Oh, well, I ended up doing it. So, and so I was like, after years and years, I was like, you know what, put her on my podcast. And I said, I said, the reason I've been saying no is because I heard the way you speak about me. And she was like, good. Good. That right there is the Todd move. That's a Todd move. I love that. I do a lot of Todd move. That's it. That's it. Because I'm like, call it passive aggressive or call it accountability. I call it accountability. Yeah. If you want to be messy, I can get messier. And you know, I'm not, I'll go lower. I'm not Michelle Obama. When they go low, we go high. No, I am. If they go low, I can get lower. I'm the exact same. And I live for it. Like, it actually, people are like, oh, does it really make you feel better? Yes, it does. It does. It makes me feel great. Me too. Me too. Were there things that surprised you, like, once you came out and you're like, I get to sleep in my own bed again, I get to eat the food

I want. I heard you say, you know, you would judge a book by the cover with guys with tattoos. My daughter's not going to date him. But what was your perspective, like just on, I guess, humans now coming out of it or life? Oh, it's absolutely a very humbling experience. And I do believe that God allowed, that God allowed us to go through. this because God has a purpose for everything and there's a purpose in your pain. It's up to us to figure out what that purpose is. And I think that for me, one of the biggest things was I'm now surrounded by men that would have never been in my sphere of my life. A lot of these were younger, younger kids that were coming in from marijuana and things like that and who had had

no father figure in their life. And those young men became my kids. And I love them dearly and they will be in my life, I hope, for the rest of my life. And I hope that they will want me in theirs. But several of them were, as I would say, covered from asshole elbow and tattoos. And that's just never been my thing. Because when I was growing up, you know, my parents always said that if you had tattoos, that's a woman of the night. Yeah, my mother would always say, that's a woman of the night. And I said, what does that mean? That's funny. She said, she's easy. You don't ever get tired. up with a woman that's got a tattoo.

Well, now you're saying this to, you know, a 15-year-old boy. I'm looking for the tattoos at this point. And so, you know, the, when they would, when the kids were there, I say kids are grown men, but, you know, I have a saying, you know, people used to ask me, would you, if something happened to you and Julie, you know, would you, how, you know, what would be the age that you would date? And I said, if I can make you, I can't date you. So, you know, if you could be my child, I'm not dating.

but you know these young men could be my children they could be my sons and I remember saying why did you do all this and this is the God's honest truth at least 90% of them regretted it really yeah there was only maybe 10% of them that said well I would like to have this one removed yeah I'd like to have this and remove but this one has a purpose this one has a meaning yeah but 90% of them wanted it removed really and so that's what what I'm doing. As they get out, I'm sponsoring them to, if they want to have them removed, we remove them. Oh, that's awesome. But I do think it brings just such a light to people that you, like you said, you would maybe never even have ever been in the same room, the same area,

the same situation. And I have met some amazing women. And, you know, women that I will be friends with forever. Yeah. Again, because you lived so closely with them. And no one can The relationships were just, you develop them quicker, and I feel like they're just stronger. I think they're stronger, and they're more real. Because, again, they're forged in the fire. Yeah, that makes sense. And I feel like that my life is so much richer. Yeah, absolutely.

The texture of my life became so much richer because of the relationships that were formed with these meetings. Right. And what about marriage? Did that make you both stronger in your marriage as well? You know, it did. And it was hard because we didn't even get to speak for two and a half years. You didn't speak.

We were able to email, but the email was very sporadic. And it would take sometimes two, three days for me to get an email or him to get an email. So we did not speak. Wow. So, yeah, it was a lot. And I think people don't realize that, you know. Well, that's when you spend every day all day together talking every day. And we had worked together.

Yeah, we did the show for 10 years. You know, we were working. We were filming the show. What would you say was the biggest challenge? Like what was the hardest part of obviously like the obvious, not talking to each other? But what was it that made that where you're like, people don't understand? What would you want to understand? You know, I think we're parents.

We were still raising kids. And even adult kids, they still need their parents. Absolutely. And it has always been us against them, you know, because we've always been out. numbered. So it's always been us against them. So not being able to talk and collaborate and say, okay, how are we going to handle this situation? Because you do try to parent as much as you can. Now, for me, it was a lot harder because I had 10 minutes a day. Yeah. That was it. That's it. So you get three, we got 300 minutes a month. So that's it. So you have to at that point decide

which child you're going to talk to, who needs you the most that day. And she had that. I did. because I was participating in the usage of a self. So I stayed in constant contact. You know, it was hard. You know, it was, that was really hard and just that, you know, he's my person. So not having your person there when you're having a bad day, when you're having a good day, when, you know, a birthday comes or a holiday, you know, those are big deals at our house. They've always been.

So that, that was the hardest part for me. That makes sense. You know, for me, I just, I give glory to God for this because my mind is so strong. And I remember the first date that we ever had. I remember, you know, the first kiss. I mean, I'm the one who keeps the first ticket stubs from the movie that we went to. Yeah, cute. And so I remember everything about our relationship.

So those memories kept you going. Kept me going. And I remember there was a magazine that, because Savannah kept me with, you know, magazines coming and whatever. And I remember, and I've never told this, I remember getting this magazine and it had Judy's, you know how when you open a magazine, it lets you smell a fragrance. Yeah. And it was Julie's fragrance. Oh my gosh. And smells do wild things to the memory. Yes. And I literally remember taking that and rubbing it on my, rubbing it on my pillow. Yeah. So that I could smell it every night. And then I put it on the collar of my jacket so that I could

smelling. And I never felt, as oddly as this is going to be, or sound, I never felt separated from her because spiritually and emotionally, I was with her every second of every day. That's nice. And so I didn't, I didn't have that separation anxiety because she was still with me. Wow. And I always knew that there was a purpose. Yeah. God, I know there's a purpose behind this pain. And I just need for you to helped me live long enough to see that purpose. Yeah. So then what was readjusting to real life when was it like an immediate I see the purpose? Like what was readjusting back to life together with your family? What did that look like? You know, I think we adjusted well. I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say that. I did not have some readjustment period because I did. I bet. It was,

it was a lot, you know, and I think because, I mean, I pulled into the garage and there were cameras right there. Oh, I forgot about that. Yeah, they're probably waiting. It was, you know, they were waiting. And we started filming the moment I walked. They were negotiating our contract as we were walking out of the prisons. Yeah. Wait, for a new show. Well, the show was already going. Savannah had already started the new show. Okay, got it. Chris was back to reality on lifetime. Yes. And so they had filmed all but maybe two episodes of the eight. And it just so happened to be that we got pardoned. And we got out of prison as they're finishing filming. So, of course, the ultimate, you know, is to get us when we come out of prison because

that just kind of completes the story. Did you understand that in the moment? Yeah, yeah, we did. We did. But it was hard because I think everyone expects you just to, you know, step right back in and nothing to be different. Right. There's no way you can go through an experience like that and not change you.

Well, if you do, then there's a problem. And then it was in vain. If you don't change at all, then the whole, all that pain and all that trauma, all that everything was just in for no reason. Exactly. And I mean, it's, you know, I think that you, I try to relate it to when I'm asked that question to something that's going on in the person's life that's asking the question. So if you had not gone through the relationships that you've gone through and had

breakups and the things that has happened, would you really appreciate where you are now? No. okay yeah yeah that makes total sense because i mean listen you know we've always god has blessed us we've had a very wonderful life and you know we've made good money and our kids grew up very privileged and i look at it now i mean was with chase last night for dinner and chase was talking about this house that he wanted and um he says and dad he said this one here i think you would like and i said no i don't want that yeah i said we're going to build a ramp all on one level.

I said, it's going to have everything your mother's ever wanted. And I said, and that's where you're going to roll us out of. Yeah. I said, I don't need the 40,000 square feet anymore. Well, you learn, you know, you live out of a locker. That's right. When you're there, where you are, where we were. And it wasn't a big locker.

It was like, mine was like a half locker. And that is your, that is your pantry. That is your bedroom drawers. That is your vanity. that is everything in there and it had to fit in there other than just a few clothes that were hanging. So what was in your locker? Well, see, on one side I had food. I kept my food organized in little clear containers, clear bags, like almost like a clear makeup bag. She's a Martha Disciple. So it was like a clear makeup bag. So I kept like mine individually packed and

organized. And then on this side, I had like my, you know, my underwear. Then my, then my toiletries were down here, makeup, whatever. Yeah, and that's pretty much it. That's all you can have. And what was in your six lockers? Well, you know, remember, some of my kids, they didn't have money for commissary or whatever. So I just bought whatever they needed to eat because they needed to eat. And I'm not going to let anyone go hungry.

So, you know, I just kept those six lockers stocked with whatever needed to be in there so that everyone, no one went to bed hungry. I think, okay, you know, you hear people make those little comments. say, well, you know, you're in jail. What do you need? There's nothing you need. You're getting three hats in a cot and whatever. Right. It's not that way. You know, you're supposed to be getting, you know, but the food is horrible. Nutrition is not at right. It's on their, yes. It's not on their list of priorities at all. And even just like your your necessities, you know, your deodorant, your toothpaste, your all that stuff, you have to buy that. So every person that is in there has to rely on somebody else to send that money in so that you can buy it. And you have $360 a month.

Oh. Now think about it. That doesn't. Think about it. Right. Right. Right. Right. $360. And that is your, that's your shampoo, your conditioner, your hair gels, your basic, basic deodorant toothbrush, and then any food that you want. It's all included in that. Wow. $360 a month. So you learned to get frugal in you learn to look like you really learn like what you need yeah what is what we say we our needs are not our needs yeah that's right and and it is what you just said it's very humbling yeah and it doesn't mean that i'm that i don't want things right i mean i like my life yeah um i don't want to go back to that yeah um but i do believe that we have a purpose and that our purpose is to help those that have been left behind. And, you know, to, you know, my kids that are still there, you know, I make sure

money's on their commissary to where they can eat and that they have what they need. And, and I'm going to continue to help them. How do you stay in touch with your friendships there? Do you go back and visit? We go back and visit. Yes, we go back and visited. He's not, well, he has visited his facility because he actually spoke there. And then I have been back. I spoke there and then shut it down. I had been back to mine and had a visit with a friend. in there. And then they can email through the prison email system. They can call. And then I've been able to connect with people

as they leave, too. Oh, okay. Yeah, which is nice. That makes sense. Everyone wanted to know how Grandma Fay has been doing with all of this, because obviously she's a fan favorite. Nanny Faye is great. Nanny Faye is great. Because I feel like you get a lot from her, like the strength, the humor, the everything. Did she, how did she handle those two and a half years? It was heartbreaking. because she would have never none of us would have ever thought this would have happened right you know you have

faith in in your justice system and so it was heartbreaking it was heartbreaking for us but it was heartbreaking for her and not for the reasons that you're going to think yes she was devastated that i was going to be gone but she was destroyed that julie was going to because julie is the daughter she never had and always woman and they are very very close yeah and they talk on the phone 50 times a day well I was just there you know I took she she had been sick before we went to prison you know and I took her to every doctor's appointment and I was with her and you know she needs something she's calling me she's calling me before she's calling him yeah you know so it was just she was lost for a little bit you know it was hard that must have been so scary and hard with that she was not feeling well before

going in too yeah she had she had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and so now she's clear and everything's good great but you know she did have to go through treatments for that and also she loved filming the show yeah you know and that was her life that was her purpose that was a purpose yeah and so she lost that yeah you know that's what i think people don't really realize either you know is that it all it all and you know our justice system never stops to think about the impact of what it that when one person in a family goes to prison the whole family goes. Yeah, yeah. It's a disruption to the entire family. And you've got to love, and I said this, you know, the other day to a friend of mine, I said, but listen, there's a purpose

for haters. Yeah, yeah. Haters have to hate. That's their job. That's their purpose in life. So they have a purpose. Yeah, yeah. And I said, but your purpose is to make sure that a hater never strips you of your joy and your peace. Yes. And so, you know, you've got the haters out there that would say, well, you know, they got what they deserved, you know, they, you know, they're in that 1%, you know, they're Trump devotees, you know, they're maga maggotage, you know, whatever. Yeah. You had all of that. We still get that.

I bet. You know, we still get it. And as I said, though, I was in prison with many, many women. And I see, I saw many women come, many women go. And I don't think there is a woman in there that would turn down a pardon from any president. Absolutely not. Exactly. And I'm sure you can say the same thing.

And I can say the exact same. I'm going to ask 158 people that are currently incarcerated, 158,000 people that are currently incarcerated, not one will turn down a pardon. I don't care who it's from. You are so right. I remember Travis Kelsey said, like, it was an honor for, like, the president to be in a building where he was playing or something. And people just ripped him apart.

And he's like, I would say that about any president. It's the president of our country. Because Travis was raised right. Yeah. He was raised correctly. Yes. It doesn't matter. There's just this level of respect.

Could you like? Yes. Yeah. And, you know, regardless. of, you know, regardless of what side of the fence you follow on, this is the president of our country. Yeah. And you, and when president.

And four years from now, whoever that president is, that would be the president. And you have to get behind that president. Yeah. Because in order for us to succeed as a whole, as a one people, we have to come together for the common good of the nation. Yeah. And you don't have to like President Trump. You don't have to like President Trump.

You don't have to like President Biden or Obama, but you have to respect that they are the president of the United States. Yeah, I agree. Because it's not changing. No, no. Here's the thing. If you don't like, and this was the irony of it, my mother is a prime example of this. My mother had never voted until President Trump's first term. Really?

And she called us, she's, I'm going to vote. And I said, okay. I said, you have to, you've never voted before. She said, but I'm going to vote before I die. Yeah. And that was her first vote. And I said, well, why are you voting for President Trump? Because I'm always big on, you know, like, what is your motive?

You know, what is, you know, and I would do that with our kids, you know, because some of them would teeter back and forth about what they believed in and this one was a little bit more liberal than this one was and whatever. And I said, well, why do you believe that way? And we would have this. conversation. We would have those conversations when they were younger. And I said that to my mother and she said, well, I just like him and that's what I'm going to vote for. And so I remember going with her standing in line, letting her vote for that first time. And Savannah was right there because she was, that was important for Savannah to know that her grandmother had taken that initiative to go and vote. Right. And it wasn't even about who she was voting for, just the fact that she was voting. Yeah. Yeah. And Savannah thought that was a very liberating time. Something that's what you were saying is that so many people have an opinion and then you hear it, they don't even vote.

And my mother would always say, my mother would always say, can you believe that's the sorriest excuse for a president? I said, you don't get to say that. You had an option to vote. You are not exercising. You're right. That's right. That's right. Yeah, absolutely.

And I feel like because of so many people feel like they've been wrongfully accused or unfairly treated by the system, do you feel like a sense of responsibility now? to like speak up and advocate for, yeah, and I do every day. Yeah. I do every day. I work, since I have left, I've gotten 38 men home under the First Step Act that President Trump initiated in 2018, which was passed bipartisan, but during the Biden administration, that was not upheld. So these men and women could have already been gone. Wow. They could have already been home. And so, Caitlin, I want you to think about that. If you had been pulled over and you went to jail because you didn't have your license on or insurance or whatever. When you were there, do you want to be held one minute longer than you should? Absolutely not. Okay. So imagine these

men and women that are incarcerated in federal prison that under the First Step Act, that if you're a nonviolent first-time offender, you qualify to reduce your sentence up to 50%. Yeah. Don't you want to take advantage of that? Yes. That's the law. Yeah. But the Bureau of Prisons was not doing it. Yeah. because the union was controlling the Bureau of Prisons. So the union needs more people to pay the fees to be a union member. So the more people that are incarcerated, the Bureau has to hire more people, more staff members, which become union members who are paying members. So I say it's the modern day slave trade. Yeah. That's what I truly believe about it. But, you know, I've brought 38 men home. I'm working on, you know, one for Julia right now. And it's just correcting the the First Step Act, and I'm so grateful and blessed to be working with the new director of the Bureau of Prisons, Billy Marshall, and Josh Smith, who's the deputy director, and Rick Stover, who's over FSA, and they're getting it right. I take these files to them, and I say, I've calculated this, this is not right. He should have been given Second Chance Act. It should have been stacked

on his first step act. So I go through the files, and I calculate their numbers. And I got so, I could go in that phone right now and show you. I got a message last night from my mother that said, if it were not for you, my son would not be home for Thanksgiving. Wow. Wow. That's important work. It's, you know, and they're like,

I thank you so much if it wasn't for you. And I said, no, it's not me. It's God. Yeah. I said, God is just using me to do what he knows needs to be done. Wow. And so I'm grateful for my purpose. I go to bed every night with a purpose.

I wake up with a purpose. And I now truly can say that I have a purpose driven. life that's and is that going to be included in like um because you guys are you're doing a lifetime special have you already done this we've done the lifetime special but now the now the reality show starts back okay so will that be incorporated into that okay yes that's yeah because now you have the platform to like it must feel so good that you're like I get to go do these interviews I get to like have my voice I get to help people now from what I've been through I'm doing um I have two shows. I have one that's called the Toddfather that encompasses all of the young men that I worked

with while in prison and that I've mentored. And then I have an animated series that I'm doing that's regarding what I call all the ass clowns that I dealt with there at PC Pensacola. And then we have Crystal Confessions 2.0. And that is our way to be able to bring people. I was able to bring someone that I was incarcerated with and she was on the podcast. week. Cool. It was a podcast. Yes. It was great. Wow. Yeah. And, you know, Chrissy Confessions 2.0 has actually done very, very well. It's, it goes between number one and number two. And it's given us our, um, a boy. Another, another avenue to have our voice heard. Oh, wow. So you guys are busy. Yeah. We are. I mean, I was saying to, you know, the young lady that works with you this morning, I said, no, I said, we have a crazy day today because we're leaving. We've got two more interviews after this and then we're leaving to go to Alabama. for Grayson because it's parents' weekend. Oh, fun. So they're going for that.

And so it's going to be, it'll really be our first all-family trip. Yeah, everyone's going. All of us are going for him. Yeah. And so, you know, it's a good life. Yeah. It's a good life. Do people really like let you be a family when they see you out in public or no?

But that's okay because we signed up for that. Yeah, I feel that. And I feel like that we owe you that picture. Oh, that's, yeah. You know, we owe you that picture. We owe you that hello. how are you? It's a pleasure to meet you. Well, and your kind of people.

And our children are going to feed off of our energy. Yes. And, you know, Savannah has said to me several times, like when we're doing press and, you know, you know, you do 15 outlets a day, you know, when you're in New York and you're running from one location to the next. And Savannah would be like right behind me and she'd go, RBF. RBF. Oh, RBF.

But she'd be squeezing me so hard. She'd say, RBM, RBM. RBM. And I go. It's hard. It's hard. It's hard to smile all day long. Yeah, and if you're not, they'll get you and not, you're not one time when you're like.

And then you're getting somebody writing, oh, Julie's has just lost the light in her eyes. Oh, gosh. You can just see that it's just empty. Yeah, they'll find anything. Yeah. And I'm like, it's wild. Where is, you know, where do you come from, lady? I mean, you know, one tried to come from Savannah the other day.

And again, you can say whatever you want to say. Yeah. Call me whatever you want to. just spell it right. Yeah. Yeah. But if you come for one of my kids. Oh, gosh.

I mean, I lose all education. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I will drag you. And I've tried so hard to be good, Caitlin, since I've come home. Yeah. But, you know, you come for my daughter. Yeah.

And, you know, they, it said, and right in an interview, when we did the whole press conference, you know, it was said that, you know, Savannah, you know, it's been rumored that Savannah, you know, Savannah paid a million dollars a piece for the pardons and that she, you know, maybe slept with people to get the pardons. And I said, my daughter has too much class for that. That's shit that I would do. So, you know, I raised her memory. Yeah. Yeah. Do as I say, not as I've done. But, you know, it is disheartening at times. Yeah. Because I know what's in my heart. I know what my children have in their hearts.

And I know who I'm married to. And. And when you have that safe place and that partner that gives you that safe landing, that's when you truly flourish in your life. Yeah. Because the chains come off. You know, you're free to be who you are and do what you want to do and to become what you're going to be great at. Yeah.

And I look at so many of these younger people, you know, I remember Colton that you're friends with, you know, because I remember meeting him the first time. It was in Vegas. Mm-hmm. And he and Savannah were like. they went to a event what is the country music awards there in Vegas

and here we were thinking that they were a couple and I thought oh my God I'm going to have the best looking grandkids this is going to be amazing and I never knew that Colton was gay Savannah knew that Savannah knew but never told us and when Colton came out

I said oh my God And I said, did you know this? She said, yeah. Yeah. And I said, well, why didn't you tell us? She said, because we were friends. And that wasn't y'all's business. And I remember her saying that that wasn't your business.

Funny. And now, you know, because I follow him on Instagram and I watch him with their baby. Yeah. And, you know, I'll flip it over to Savannah. And I said, look how, I said, look how he's kind of like stepped into his own. Yeah. Totally. He has, I said, he's at his own purpose driven life.

Yes. I looked at Savannah and him and all I could think of was beautiful grandchildren. Because I'm like, this is the genetic lottery. This is genetic lottery. This is going to work out great. And now I look at it and say, but that was what I wanted. That was not what he wanted. And that's not what Savannah wanted.

And it took me a minute. And I remember Judah and I talked and said, she knew all along. And she goes, do you remember what you said to me that day? She goes, but you should be proud of our daughter that she was not putting. his business out there. Right. Yeah. I agree. Yeah. And so I was like, yeah, yeah, that's my daughter. Yeah. You know what? You know what? You're right. And I wasn't making it about me feeling betrayed that I wasn't going to have these beautiful grandkids. I was like, yeah, that was my daughter that did that. So, you know, I think that we have to have open, honest conversations. I don't have to

agree with you. Exactly. I can still love you, Caitlin. Even though I don't agree with you wearing the hat and at 80 degrees outside. I can still love you. I can still love you because you live differently or because you chose to love differently. And do you really choose to love differently? I think you love what you love. And how wonderful is that to be able to be in a life

to where God allows us to feel love? Yeah. And then how lucky are you that you feel love for someone that reciprocates them? Yeah. Yeah. I have that. Yeah.

I have been blessed with that. So why would I try to stop someone or prevent someone from feeling that way? I wish more people were like that, you know? I think there's more people like that than what we think. I agree. I just think that it's not cool to say it. Yep. And I always say the hate is so much louder.

Like you see it more, you hear it more. But remember, you know, I hear that, but I need you to remember this. If you take nothing from this podcast, remember this. Okay. You can't hear a song. on your radio until you turn it up. So unless you turn the hate up to hear it, it's not going to affect you. I like that. So we don't turn up the hate. Yeah. It's so important what you're saying. It really is. And I'm just so grateful that you guys even came today. I know you're so

busy. Well, we're grateful that you invited us. So we thank you so much for it. Thank you guys. That was a really, I love hearing both of you speak. Thank you so much. There is a reason you do have a microphone. You're both very good at it. Thank you very much, and we're blessed to be here. Thank you. And I want you guys to tell everybody where they can find your shows and podcasts and everything. Yes, Chrysley Confessions 2.0, wherever you get your podcast. Yep.

And then the reality show is on Lifetime. Yeah, it's so great that you're still going. Yeah, it's so entertaining. It's so good. And then I have a book that's coming out soon. When? Probably spring of next year. Oh, do you know what it's called yet?

It's not titled yet. And I keep tossing back the titles, you know, to decide which one I'm going to go with and then you know my bitchy side comes out and then I'm like one day if I'm in that bitch mode then it's going to be this time and then if I'm trying to live by the Lord's word then it's going to be so it really just depends on where a hater takes me the day that I decide what's going that's fair I mean you have you have daughters so I can say this but I'm like it really depends on where I'm out in my cycle well I say that myself I mean you know Savannah used to say she'd say Julia can we say don't want her today it's not today's not the day I said why she goes

her friends here. And I said, yeah, well, so is mine. So is mine. I'm not dealing with that shit. Y'all been doing this for your whole life. You've had it forever. Get used to it. Yeah, we don't. No, exactly. I'd be like, like, why am I really happy? That's amazing. Well, thank you again. Thank you so much. On Pluto TV, with horror movie collections from paranormal activity, The Ring. You will die in seven days. Scream. And from dusk till dawn.

This is my kind of place. And don't miss the man-made nightmares in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or the world ending chaos in 28 days later. There's something in the blood. All the scares, all for free. Pluto TV, stream now, pay never. Introducing IVF disrupted. The Kind Body Story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care.

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