Scamfluencers - ENCORE: The Shady Bunch Part 1

Episode Date: May 20, 2024

As Todd and Julie Chrisley continue to face legal troubles from jail, we revisit our episodes on the Chrisleys, which originally aired in December 2022. Todd and Julie paint the picture of a lavish Southern lifestyle on their over-the-top reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best. They show off their massive home in suburban Atlanta, their kids drive luxury cars, and Todd makes frequent trips to Beverly Hills for haircuts. But behind the scenes, everything isn’t all glitz and glamor. The real story involves an extramarital affair, blackmail, and fake financial records that threaten to completely upend their reality TV empire.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Scamfluencers early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Apple podcasts. You know what I really learned from this show? That even going to prison won't stop people from scamming and publishing self-serving memoirs or even speaking out on a housewives drama. You know what it made me realize? You can lock someone up, but their spirit will always be free. That is so beautiful. I will put that on a pillow. Well, ever since we talked about Todd and Julie

Chrisley, I have not been able to get away from them. And not just because my dad keeps watching reruns of Chrisley Knows Best. They both reported to prison in January 2023. Todd phoned into Chris Cuomo's News Nation show in December to complain about the conditions in prison. He said that the food has expired and disgustingly filthy. Todd and Julie both recently had their sentences reduced. And meanwhile, the kids continue to beef. Savannah stirred shit with Lindsay on former Bachelor Nick Viles podcast. Now the two are no longer speaking. Oh, and Savannah appeared on The Masked Singer as an Afghan hound and was voted off almost immediately. Thank you for giving me that update because I was pretty much done with them when we stopped

recording. I'm so happy to help. Well Todd and Julie's legal troubles haven't ended just because they're behind bars. Recently Todd was ordered to pay $755,000 to a Georgia Department of Revenue investigator for slandering her on social media and on podcasts. Maybe he'll finally shut up? But probably not! And they're back in court to appeal their convictions for bank fraud and tax evasion.

At a hearing in April, their lawyers argued that the convictions were based on incorrect information. Savannah is hoping her parents will be home by the summer. That would be right on time for sweep season. We'll be back with all new episodes soon. We're starting strong with an episode that involves the iconic shoe brand Steve Madden and the Wolf of Wall Street. It's out June 3rd on Wondry Plus and June 10th wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, now it's time for a refresher on the reality TV family that will haunt us all forever. Here's our encore of The Shady Bunch, Part 1.

Sachi, you and I both consume a lot of reality TV, but do you ever think about all the shows we've never heard of? I am sincerely embarrassed to say that I think I know all of them. I don't think you're going to tell me one that I haven't heard of before. Well, actually, Sachi, I am about to tell you something that will blow your mind. Okay. It's a truly insane story about a family you may have vaguely heard about in passing as like a wholesome and wacky American family,

but the truth behind one of the most popular unscripted shows on television is far crazier than you could possibly imagine. It's late 2010 and Annie Kate Pons is headed to a Beverly Hills hotel for an important lunch. Annie's in her 20s with hazel eyes, light brown hair, and a beauty-pagent smile. For the last few years, Annie's worked as a booker and producer for news networks like Fox and Al Jazeera. But it's not the right fit. Now, she wants to transition into unscripted TV, and she thinks she's found her star. Todd Chrisley.

Todd Chrisley is a businessman who Annie met a little more than a year ago and she hasn't been able to stop thinking about him. She thinks he'd make the perfect reality TV star. Annie spots Todd right away. He might not be tall, but he's definitely got a presence. He's in his early 40s, he's perpetually tanned with bleached tip hair and expensive clothes. And Todd's a Southerner, just like Annie.

She's from Texas and he's from South Carolina. And he's full of folksy one-liners delivered in a sing-song-y, down-home accent. Me getting ready is not a challenge because I've been doing this my whole life. I'm surrounded by stupid. And stupid is forever. Perfect should be something you should strive to be.

And Todd brags constantly about having built his real estate empire from nothing. And he talks about his endless love for his children who wear designer clothes and drive luxury cars, just like their dad, and about the modern progressive Christianity that grounds him despite his flashy lifestyle. Annie pitches Todd the Idea, a reality show centered on him and his family. And he loves it. He's reportedly been obsessed with TV since he was a kid, especially soap operas.

And he's always imagined a life of glamour and stardom for himself. So he's in. And Annie walks away from lunch thinking, I've got my show. But there is just one problem. The huge house, fancy cars, designer wardrobe. It is all a front. Todd's empire is built on lies. In reality, Todd's sweating to stay afloat.

Annie's idea could be just what he needs. The chance to project success like never before and keep his family from losing everything. At least, that's what Todd Chrisley's praying for. Some stories were never meant to be heard. Beneath the visible world of parliaments, politicians, and civil servants lies an invisible state filled with secret operatives playing to very different rules.

From Wondery, I'm Indra Varma, and this is the Spy Who. This month, we open the file on Noor Anayat Khan, the spy who wouldn't lie. When Germany invades France, Noor and her family are forced to flee to Britain. But Noor decides she can't just sit out the war, so she accepts one of the most dangerous spy missions of World War II, a job that will put her deep into enemy territory. Follow The Spy Who now wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can binge the full season

of The Spy Who Wouldn't Lie early and ad free with Wondery Plus. What does it mean to be black in America? In NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of stories as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as Black experiences, you'll hear it means everything. Search NPR Black Stories, Black Truths wherever you get your podcasts.

From Wondery, I'm Sarah Haggi. And I'm Saatchi Cole. And this is Scamfluencers. Sachi, Chrisley Knows Best has been on TV for nearly a decade and millions of people tune in to watch these ultra wealthy oddballs who act like they're kind of saintly but things couldn't be more different behind the scenes. The real story involves an extramarital affair, blackmail, and literally cutting and pasting fake financial records together in a massive fraud scheme. Todd and his family aren't

on a soap opera, they are one. This is The Shady Bunch Part 1. Before Todd becomes a real estate mogul turned TV star, he's a young dad flipping houses in South Carolina. It's 1995, about 15 years before he meets with Annie. And reality TV is still brand new. The real world premiered only a few years earlier. But Todd probably can't even conceive that he'll have his own show someday. Right now, he's focused on his family, because he's in the middle of a messy divorce. He and his wife are fighting over custody of their two kids, 6-year-old Lindsay and 4-year-old Kyle.

Things are ugly. One day, Todd's hanging out at a friend's house when someone new walks in. She's beautiful and Todd recognizes her right away. She works at the local bank. She's in her early 20s with shoulder-length blonde hair and wispy bangs. She looks a little bit like the first lady at the time, Hillary Clinton. And Todd learns her name is Julie Hughes and he falls for her instantly. Many years later on his podcast, Chrisley Confessions, he describes a moment Sparks started flying and never stopped. I thought she has got the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

And it's the only woman that has ever literally touched my soul. I would be so offended if I was his first wife and I listened to this interview. I know, and you're kind of like, did you not love me at all, man? Was there nothing there? Listen, ex-husbands need to learn. You don't have to say anything out loud. You can just go. Just go and be quiet and be with God, you know? Yes, agreed. Well, when Todd chats Julie up, he discovers they've got a lot in common. They're both from small towns in South Carolina, and they were both raised in working

class families. Julie's a preacher's daughter, and she started cleaning offices with her grandmother when she was 12. Meanwhile, Todd got his start working the night shift at the textile factory where his parents worked. Todd and Julie tie the knot a little more than a year later and not long after that, Julie gives birth to their first son, Chase. Now, Todd's got a growing family he adores and the partner of his dreams. He's not gonna to waste the second chance. He's determined to have the life he's always wanted, and he'll do just about anything to get it.

In 2000, Todd moves his family to the suburbs outside Atlanta. It's the perfect place to expand his business, especially now that his family has expanded too. By this point, he and Julie have a second child, a daughter named Savannah who's three years old, and Todd has gained custody of Lindsay and Kyle, his kids from his first marriage. Together, they all form one boisterous, splendid family. Todd and Julie know the real estate market is red hot.

So, a few years later, they start a company called Chrisley Asset Management, and they begin managing properties for banks all over the country. Basically, the company takes over four closed properties and makes them all nice and shiny. Chrisley Asset Management earns fees and commissions to maintain the properties, then it contracts realtors to sell them at a tidy profit. So this is allowed? Like, I don't know enough about the housing market to know what's allowed and what isn't.

But this sounds like something that's allowed, but is, like, morally dubious. Yeah, it's one of those things that's kind of evil but legal. Evil but legal. I love that. Yeah. And business is good, Sachi. So in 2004, the Christieleys look for an executive to join their company, someone to handle day-to-day operations,

and they find one close to home at a PTA meeting, Mark Braddock. Mark's around 40 years old with blue eyes, strong cheekbones, and light brown hair. He looks like the guy you'd see in the back row of a fraternity group photo. He's married with two kids, and he's worked in IT for years. As the VP of Chrisley Asset Management, he'll handle the company and the Chrisley's personal

finances. And those personal finances seem to be going pretty well. Around 2004, the Chrisleys move into a bigger house in a ritzy suburb called Roswell. It's a place that reflects their rising status, and Todd loves bragging about their celebrity neighbors. We live in a neighborhood north of Atlanta, a gated neighborhood with celebrities here. We live with Sharon and Chipper Jones. We live with, you know, Usher. I think it's nice that he's bragging about his neighbors.

Imagine living near Usher. I would die. Yeah. Well, before long, Todd and Julie have another child on the way, their son Grayson. It seems like Todd's got everything. A beautiful wife, a successful business, and a growing family. He's got a walk-in closet the size of some people's houses, and he's got fancy habits. He allegedly flies to Los Angeles twice a month to get his hair done.

But he wants more than to just keep up with the Joneses. Todd wants the kind of money that will make him and his clan untouchable. But to get there, he'll need to bend the truth and leave the little guys behind. By 2007, Chrisley Asset Management has dozens of employees and handles 400 to 600 properties a month. Most of those are from the company's biggest client, Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored corporation that buys mortgages from banks. And the Chrisleys are raking it in. In the later legal filing, they report that their company takes in between $200,000 and

$700,000 a month in revenue. Of course, that isn't all going to Todd and Julie. They still have to pay real estate agents, contractors, and employees, and their VP Mark. On paper, the Chrisleys are doing very well for themselves. Except as fast as the money's coming in, it is flowing right back out again. Because Todd doesn't want to skimp on anything. He and Julia own homes in Florida and Los Angeles, and their kids go to expensive private schools.

They run up Amex cards and stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Todd needs to keep the money flowing. So he tells Mark to try a new financial tactic. It's called scrapbooking. Scrapbooking means cutting and pasting together different financial documents to make it look like you have way more money than you actually do. And the Chrisleys are doing this so they can secure

massive loans to fund their appetite for luxury. I mean, this is obviously very illegal, but I do admire the workmanship behind it, the effort. There's a kind of cutesy, artsy element to this that is winning me over. I'm sure that'll last. Well, Sachi, this scheme really starts to escalate in November 2007.

Around then, Mark's working with a bank to get a loan for the Chrisleys. He sends an email to the bank with Todd C. Seed that claims the Chrisleys have $4 million at Merrill Lynch. But at the time, they don't have any account there whatsoever. But they need the slide of work if they want the loan. So when a bank employee requests specific account statements, Mark opens a Word document

and makes them up. He sends over statements that appear to show that Todd has nearly $800,000 deposited in one account. And Todd is stoked. The scrapbooking, as crazy as it sounds, is working. Now he just needs to mark up the balance of the account even more, like way more. So Todd sends Mark an email saying, you are a fucking genius. Just make it show four mil plus.

Is this being a genius or simply being a liar? You know, I think maybe for Todd, he believes that anything that works is genius, no matter how much of a liar or illegal it is. Okay, fair enough. Yeah, so these scrapbook documents help the Chrisleys secure millions of dollars in loans. And much of it goes right into Todd and Julie's personal expenses. The clothes, the hair appointments, the alleged twice-a-month flights for the hair appointments. Just as the Chrisleys are enjoying this new influx of cash, the Great Recession begins

to wreak havoc on the country. Lots of Americans are tightening their belts. But the Chrisleys aren't about to cut back. In fact, they find a way to make their fortune even greater. It's September 2008, and I'm picturing Mark sitting at the Chrisley Asset Management offices in a towering glass building, probably watching the news on his computer, the financial news. It's all red arrows going down and down and down. Remember how we talked about Fannie Mae Satchie, the government-sponsored company that buys

mortgages from banks? Yep. Well, for years, they've been repackaging mortgages and selling them to Wall Street investors who repackage them again into subprime mortgages. Are you following me here? I think so. It sounds like more of the evil but legal stuff that we've been talking about. Yeah, and extensively covered in the film The Big Short.

Our favorite movie that we do not understand. Yeah. So these subprime mortgages are often given to people with lower credit scores, including buyers who definitely can't afford them. And when they start defaulting on their loans, it triggers a domino effect that turns into a global financial meltdown. It is a really, really bad time for a lot of people. But guess who finds a silver lining? Is it Chrisley?

Yep. So when people can't pay their subprime loans, the banks put their homes into foreclosure. And that's when the Chrisley's company swoops in and helps a bank fix up and flip the properties at a profit. And while all this is happening, the Chrisley's biggest clientops in and helps a bank fix up and flip the properties at a profit. And while all this is happening, the Chrisley's biggest client, Fannie Mae, is being bailed out by the government to the tune of billions of dollars.

And the Chrisleys are perfectly poised to get a piece of that pie. According to a former accountant for the Chrisleys, pretty soon their company starts raking in about $1 million per month. You know, I know we talk a lot about like the American health care system being a scam, but I think we have to add the American banking system to our scam list. Nothing makes sense. It's all so arbitrary. And I think everyone's just looking for loopholes. And I guess they found one. While Todd and Julie's expenses are still reportedly outstripping their income by a mile.

By now, they have three housekeepers working five days a week, and all the while, Todd's leaning on Mark to keep the loans coming in no matter what. When one bank says it won't renew a loan without updated financial information, Todd presses Mark to send more scrapbooked statements. But Mark's had enough. He writes back that he can't do it. He still thinks it's too risky, but Todd won't take no for an answer. He writes back and he's not happy, Sachi.

Do you wanna read Todd's email for me? He says, stop telling me this shit. Create them like you always have. If I don't have these, then they won't renew the loans. Rude. This guy's risking it all for you, and you're like, stop telling me this shit. Gotta play nice, Todd.

You're right, the problem with these people is they weren't more polite. Just be nice about it. So when another bank requests updated financial records from the Chrisleys, Mark tells Todd that he needs help creating them. And Todd's livid.

Can you read his email, Sachi? Yeah. So Todd writes, giving me an excuse as to why you cannot figure this out does not move it off your plate. This is not what we discussed. Passing it back and forth is not getting the results requested. If you do not know how to do this, then find a crooked accountant to do it. This is obscene.

Go on. Okay, so Todd continues, suggesting that Mark track down the guy who handled a colleague's, and I'm quoting Todd here, crooked shit. So Todd is literally just asking for crooked shit in an email that you and I are now reading. Yeah, that's the part that I cannot wrap my head around.

Mark is playing with fire. His name is on these documents too, but he feels compelled to help the Chrisleys, especially Todd, because Mark's hiding a secret, one that's about to blow up their picture-perfect lives. Nancy's love story could have been ripped right out of the pages of one of her own novels. She was a romance mystery writer who happens to be married to a chef. But this story didn't end with a happily ever after. When I stepped into the kitchen, I could see that

Chef Brophy was on the ground, and I heard somebody say, call 911. As writers, we'd written our share of murder mysteries. So when suspicion turned to Dan's wife, Nancy, we weren't that surprised. The first person they look at would be the spouse. We understand that's usually the way they do it. But we began to wonder, had Nancy gotten so wrapped up in her own novels,

there are murders in all of the books, that she was playing them out in real life? You can listen to Happily Never After, Dan and Nancy early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Imagine falling in love with the perfect partner. Charming, caring, handsome, successful, and utterly captivating. But what if that love was nothing more than an elaborate con orchestrated by your alleged best friend? Sometimes the perfect match can be a dangerous game. I'm Tiffany Reese, host of Something Was Wrong. Join me for season 20 as we unravel the chilling story of a group of friends

ensnared in one of the most elaborate catfishing schemes of all time. Meet the survivors who thought they found love, friendship, and trust, but instead found themselves entangled in a web of lies all spun by one person. Uncover the chilling truth behind Brody, a fictitious persona meticulously crafted to deceive and control women for over a decade. Follow Something Was Wrong on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Something Was Wrong early and ad-free by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Okay, Sachi, it's 2011 and the Chrisleys are living large. But behind the scenes, there's something really sketchy going on. Picture this. Mark walks up to an ATM in the middle of the night.

He looks around, nervous, and he enters his PIN. He takes out nearly $10,000 in cash and heads back to his car. He adds it to a bag already crammed full of $100 bills from other ATM withdrawals, and he books it to a parking garage where he meets up with Todd. Mark hands Todd the bag, which is stuffed with nearly $40,000 in cash. Todd will then deliver the cash to the person who's been blackmailing them. This person has been demanding cash and threatening to expose their ongoing fraud. We don't know who the blackmailer is, but it seems like Mark and Todd do.

Because the blackmailer also says they could bust open a big secret that Mark and Todd do not want to get out. That the two of them allegedly had an affair. Oh, that's fun. Okay. Yeah, well, Mark later testifies in court that he and Todd had an intimate relationship for about a year in the early 2000s when they first met. Todd has always denied this, and in a later affidavit, he claims Mark was the one being extorted. He says he wonders now if the extortion was, quote, a ruse concocted to play on my sympathies.

None of that makes sense. It doesn't make any sense. But also, do you ever think about how much fewer extortion attempts there would be if people were like less homophobic even towards themselves? I'm sure that that's an aspect, but like, if Todd Chrisley was having an affair with anyone, I think there would be an extortion attempt. Sure, but I don't think it would be as potent if it was a woman. No, no, no, definitely not.

Okay, what next? Well, you might think that this whole blackmail ordeal might have slowed down Todd and Mark's fraud scheme, but no, it seems to be expanding by the day. The Chrisleys are now filing for new personal loans just to pay back the old loans that they blew on luxury stuff. They've also started scrapbooking documents to avoid paying taxes. But their web of deception is leaving a paper trail that will not stay hidden forever. Mark later testifies that Todd's spending gets so out of control that he drains the

company accounts, leaving nothing for payroll. In his own legal filings, Todd makes a different case. He claims that Mark has been withholding payments and pocketing company money for himself. Either way, the real estate agents the Chrisleys work with are all pissed because they're not getting paid. So they decide to report it to Fannie Mae. And in March 2012, Fannie Mae decides to audit Chrisley asset management.

That sounds like a bad thing. I don't know a ton about math or numbers or money, but this sounds bad. Yeah, this is not good news for the Chrisleys. Three months later, Fannie Mae says it has the results of the audit and they are not going to work with Chrisley Asset Management anymore. It's a major blow because Fannie Mae isn't just the company's biggest client. At this point, it's their only client.

Yikes. And as the Chrisleys contend with their business woes, their personal lives take a hit too. Several of their friends have gotten cancer and they begin to worry about their own health. Julie has no family history of breast cancer, but Todd urges her to get a mammogram. And her worst fears are confirmed. At just 39 years old, she discovers she has breast cancer. But she leans on her faith to help get through it. And just weeks after finding out, she decides to get a double mastectomy. Over time, Julia merges cancer-free with two brand new breasts. She told the Tennessean that she came out of the treatment,

quote, feeling like a new woman. But even with cancer behind them, Julie and Todd have their own personal hell to face with their collapsing business. And their former business partner is fanning the flames. After Fannie Mae cuts off Chrisley Asset Management, the company's in freefall. Mark doesn't know if his job will be around much longer, so he starts his own company behind Todd's back.

And one day in the summer of 2012, Mark arrives at the offices to find he's been locked out. And he's fired. Todd thinks Mark is stealing, and he's learned about the new company. So Mark is escorted he's learned about the new company. So Mark is escorted out of the building. Then weeks later, he's stunned when the Chrisleys file a federal racketeering lawsuit against him. They lay the blame for most of the fraud scheme at his feet.

The Chrisleys allege that Mark was a mastermind behind everything. That he bugged their phones and computers to get access to all their banking and email accounts. That he used their signature stamps without permission. And that he illegally stashed $1.4 million from the business for himself. To top it all off, Todd files for personal bankruptcy. It's a process they desperately hope will allow them to walk away from $20 million in personal debt. That's a lot.

That's personal debt. That's not even business debt. Well, that's what you get when you got a bunch of live-in housekeepers, I guess. Well, Mark's in shock. He'd once considered Todd a dear friend and even a lover, but now he feels totally betrayed. So Mark gets back on his computer. He creates a new email address and he writes a message to the FBI. He says he committed crimes worth millions of dollars for years.

But he did it to benefit one man and his family. And if the feds give him immunity, he'll tell the government everything they've been waiting to hear. Todd's life is in a total spiral. His company is also in bankruptcy now, not just his personal finances. He's got mountains of legal fees. And he and Julie haven't paid taxes in years. Sachi, if you were in this situation, what would you do? I mean, it sounds insurmountable, so I would probably take to the sea and never return.

Yeah, at this point, it's just like you made your mistake, you lived large, it's game over, just face what you have to deal with. I would feel pretty painted into a corner of my own making. Well, Sachi, I think it's clear by now that Todd isn't like us. So remember that fancy lunch Todd had with the reality TV show producer at the beginning of this episode? Yes, I do. Well, Annie, the producer,

wants to develop a TV show starring Todd and his family. And Todd decides to take her up on the offer. He probably sees it as an opportunity to make his family famous, just like their celebrity neighbors. And most of all, it would help bring in an additional paycheck, one that hasn't been scrapbooked. Todd's willing to give it a try, and Julia's too. So Todd and Annie shape the idea.

They make a sizzle reel, and of course, they make Todd the face of the show. His big personality and snappy one-liners make him a perfect main character. Meanwhile, Julie plays as endlessly patient, understanding wife. You have to let him think he's the boss, and that's okay. At its core, the show promises to be about Todd raising his kids to be good, caring Christians, just like him. I didn't realize that their background had all of these financial frauds in it, and then

the show happened. Yeah, you think it was like they got caught up in the fame cycle and this financial, no, no, no. This show is a result of their mistakes. That's the craziest part. They saw this as they're out. Well, you know, they sound like good, caring Christians. Honestly, I think it's easy to understand what Annie might have seen in the Chrisleys.

They're loud and showy, but they also represent this newer brand of Christian family, one that's inclusive of blended families and modern struggles. For example, Todd has two children from his previous marriage, and his oldest son Kyle has battled drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues. And while he struggled, his parents took in his young daughter Chloe, and Lindsay, Todd's oldest daughter, eloped without her parents' permission. So the show is wholesome while still depicting a family that isn't exactly leave it to beaver. TV execs think it's going to be a hit.

And Sachi, at least eight networks reportedly bid on the show. That is eight too many. So the Chrisleys decide to go with the USA Network. Together they start filming season one of what they're calling Chrisley Knows Best. In the trailer for the show, the Chrisleys paint an over-the-top picture of their lifestyles. I make millions of dollars a year, but we still have the same issues that parents who are making $40,000 a year have. And in case you forgot, as Todd says all this, he's in the middle of personal bankruptcy.

And on cameras, it all ends up looking shiny and perfect. But the bright lights of reality TV will only inflate Todd's ego and raise the stakes for Todd to do whatever it takes to stay on his perch of perfection. Cursely Knows Best premieres on USA in March 2014. There's a ton of promo for the show and news leaks about Todd's bankruptcy. But hey, all publicity is good publicity, right? The report only seems to make people more interested.

The show makes a splash right away and it does something that the best binge-worthy unscripted shows do. It mimics the story arcs of actual TV dramas. Like on the show, Todd's painted as a control freak dad who rules this house with an iron fist. In the first episode, he tells his kids they can't go to the Friday night football game

with the rest of their friends unless they bring them along. Those normal parents, those. We're not normal. There's no normal in this house. But his son goes anyway. So Todd puts a boot on his Range Rover. It's very middle of the road family stuff. Yeah, I can see a show like this appealing to a lot of the country. I get it.

I get why it's working. Yeah, but undeniably, part of the appeal of the show is Todd's flamboyance. For one thing, he has frosted tips, botox, and fillers, and spends the entire first season talking about how he wants to branch out into his passion for fashion. Fashion is very important to me,

and it's a way of me kind of, like, helping the world look better. Some viewers speculate on social media that Todd must be gay or possibly bi. A critic at Variety calls it, quote, the brightly dressed elephant in the room. The critic goes on to write, there's something off-putting about seeing their children drawn into this money-making enterprise, which goes out of its way to note how fabulously well-organized Todd's closet is. The Whispers actually becomes such a topic that Todd addresses them head on. He says he's straight, but a few years later, he tells radio show host Dominic Natti that

he's not offended by rumors to the contrary. Well, in order for it to disappoint me would mean that I don't agree with someone being gay because I don't believe that's a choice that you make. I believe that you are the way that God has made you. And so I'm flattered that people think I can get laid on both ends. I gotta say this is not a bad answer. Yeah, I mean it definitely is a very good PR spin. But you do have to remember that Todd loves any form of attention. So I can't see him being upset by any rumors about his sexuality. Sure, all press is good press.

I mean, it is clear that there are a lot of eyes on the Chrisleys. USA has been looking for a hit reality TV show and they want more. So they renew Chrisley Knows Best for a second season before the first season is even done. The Chrisleys finally have a new legal source of income. And now that the real cash is flowing in, the Chrisleys are determined to keep it any way they can.

Behind every successful business is a story, and some of them might surprise you. Like how Chobani's first yogurt factory was discovered on a piece of junk mail, or how the founder of the multi-million dollar cosmetics brand, Drunk Elephant, was told by everyone, including her own mother, that the name sounded like a dive bar. I'm Guy Raz, and on my show How I Built This, I talk to founders behind the world's biggest companies and brands to learn the real stories of how they built them. In each episode, you'll hear entrepreneurs share moments of doubt and failure, and talk

about how they were able to overcome them on their way to the top. How I built this is like a master class in innovation and creativity. A how-to guide for navigating life's challenges from the people who've done it all. Follow How I Built This on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to How I Built This early and ad free right now on Wondery Plus. I feel like I, like I Right before their TV show started airing, the Chrisleys created a new company.

It's called Seven Seas Productions, short for the seven members of the Chrisley clan, Todd and Julie, Lindsay, Kyle, Chase, Savannah, and Grayson. Notably, Julie's listed as a CEO, which is convenient because Todd owes a lot in back taxes. So the payments from USA Network are deposited to Seven Seas Productions and shielded from the IRS. And even though they're becoming reality TV rich and famous, they're still engaging in some questionable behavior.

In July 2014, just months after the show's debut, Julie fills out an application to lease a $13,000 a month house in California. The property owner wants a credit report and documents showing that Todd and Julie have enough money in their personal bank accounts. So it's back to scrapbooking. They create documents that show a balance of more than $86,000, when in reality, that account had somewhere around negative $14,000. And Julie includes a link to a fake credit report too, showing that she had a credit score of 767 when it's really $556. You know, for rich people with assets and clearly a decent amount of income. This is a really bad credit score, which I feel like speaks to the fact that they are

clearly living well beyond their means. They're not paying their debts or not paying their credit card bills. Well a few months in, they refuse to pay rent and the property owner threatens them with eviction, kicking off more legal wrangling. That same month, USA Network renews Chrisley Knows Best for season 3 and a holiday special. Okay, well, I guess more money's about to come in, but it doesn't sound like they're going to keep it. Well, the Chrisleys have millions of fans for their bougie lifestyle, but their brazen behavior is about to catch up to them.

For Todd Chrisley, 2015 must seem like a year out of a dream. When Chrisley Knows Best season 3 premieres in June, more than 2 million people tune in. And Todd doesn't seem fazed by all the attention on his personal life and his financial trouble. In a June interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he says, quote, No one gives a shit that I filed bankruptcy anymore. I mean, that's probably true, but he sounds so arrogant. I know he is probably being super arrogant because he's wrapped his bankruptcy proceedings. And guess what? He ends up walking away from $20 million in debt. But it also means the IRS can start

rifling through his accounts for what it's owed in back taxes. And that's exactly what they do. Because now that the Chrisleys are raking in millions, they're being inspected closer than ever before by the IRS, the tabloids, and even by each other. And as they become more famous, their secrets will become even harder to hide. In January 2016, Julie Chrisley is about to turn 43 years old. And when you're an unscripted TV star, every celebration is a storyline.

So the family films an episode with Julie's birthday party at the center of it. In the episode, Todd tricks Julie into planning her own party by saying it's a sit-down dinner to celebrate his new career as a country music singer. And Todd actually is recording a song to sing at the event with one of the Chrisley's biggest guest stars yet.

To make the song extra special, Shane has brought in a friend of ours who just happens to be Julie's favorite singer to do the duet with me. -♪ And every time we kiss it's all so clear... -♪ Sarah Evans. Todd and Sarah sing their duet, Infinite Love at the surprise party.

Julie's moved and after the episode airs, the track goes up for sale on iTunes. Infinite love, that's what we have together. You'll be the one until the 12th. I will say this song sounds like a real song because you could barely hear Todd. Yeah, you're right. He's not super present, which is a blessing, I think. And Sarah Evans, she has a great voice. It's still a bad song.

So anyway, Infinite Love is our song. I can't wait to sing it to you next time I see you. I will be busy that day. Okay, we'll see. Well, Todd's finally reached the I Have a Track to Hock on iTunes level of reality TV fame, right up there with Erika Jayne and RuPaul. Chrisley Knows Best has never been hotter. At this point, it's cable TV's number one unscripted show in its time slot. The show gets an average of 1.4 million viewers per episode of people between 18 and 49 years old.

That puts them in the same stratosphere as the real housewives of Beverly Hills and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. There is no denying it. The Chrisleys are a presence in unscripted TV. This is honestly really surprising because it's just not a show I consider that like stratospherically popular. Like I don't really hear about it. Nobody I know is watching it. You know, I don't read anything about it. I have a kind of tangential awareness of the family and the show, but it's big. Yeah, it's almost like it takes place in a whole different world from the one we have. Yeah, it's like a different timeline.

But behind the scenes, the Chrisleys turn in corporate tax returns that leave out all their earnings from the show. So it looks like they aren't making any money and don't owe any taxes, even though the show is all about their rich, fabulous life. Todd and Julie, middle America's reality TV power couple, have a fear of God, but seemingly not the IRS. But their elaborate scheme to stay rich is leaving a damning paper trail.

And not even skyrocketing ratings can keep Uncle Sam at bay forever. This is The Shady Bunch Part 1. I'm Sarah Haggie. And I'm Sachie Cole. If you have a tip for us on a story that you think we should cover, please email us at scamfluencers at wondery.com. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were Haven Orekio-Igretsits reporting for Insider,

Sarah Herons reporting for Us Weekly, Kate Stanhope reporting for The Hollywood Reporter, and Brian Lowry's review for Variety. Paul Schroet wrote this episode. Additional writing by Sarah Enne and us, Satya Cole and Sarah Hegge. Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our producer is John Reed. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Lexi Peary. Sarah Eni is our story editor and producer and our story editor is Allison Weintraub. Our senior story

editor is Rachel B Doyle. Sound design is by Sam Ada. Fact checking by Gabrielle Drolet. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our music supervisor is Scott Velazquez for Freeson Sync. Our executive producers are Janine Cornelo, Stephanie Jens, and Marshall Louie for Wondering.