The Unexpected Job Todd Chrisley Wound Up Doing In Prison

USA Network star Todd Chrisley was reality royalty with his TV empire "Chrisley Knows Best" in the 2010s. That kingdom crashed when he and his wife Julie were indicted on fraud charges in 2019. Chrisley has spent his incarcerated days volunteering as the Assistant to the Chaplain at his prison, but the star says he was unexplainably fired in October 2024.

Chrisley's attorney Jay Surgent told Today that his client — currently serving 12 years in prison after being charged with a slew of financial crimes, including bank fraud and tax evasion — is "disappointed and emotionally offended" after being removed from his job at the chapel in Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, where he is being held. Surgent claimed that while they were not provided a solid reason for the dismissal, he believes it was because Chrisley was communicating with those in the Florida prison's Residential Drug Abuse Program, who have access outside of the prison walls.

The lawyer also told People that Chrisley will no longer be able to participate in organizing the religious services at Pensacola, which covered Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. A Southern native, Chrisley has always been vocal about his Christian beliefs, which Surgent says have not been shaken, even with less access to the prison's place of worship. Chrisley reportedly was a guiding light for many inmates who also led a faith-based life while incarcerated. According to Surgent (via Today), his role in the chapel was important because it gave Chrisley the "ability to participate in his faith and to help other people with their faith."

The 2014 premiere of USA Network's "Chrisley Knows Best" left viewers in awe of the lavish lifestyle that Atlanta real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family led. Chrisley's closet alone was practically the size of a small New York City apartment, not including the rest of their 30,000-square-foot mansion located in the affluent city of Roswell, Georgia. Fans were also completely fascinated by the Southern perfection of the Chrisley family's home, with not one strand from each member's perfectly coiffed blond hair out of place. Chrisley's strict parenting style juxtaposed with his children's chaotic behavior is why the Chrisleys gained an enormous audience, to the point where the family's TV debut was franchised — adding new shows to their repertoire like "Growing Up Chrisley" and "According to Chrisley."

The family's picture-perfect facade came crumbling down when Chrisley and his wife Julie were indicted in 2019 for multiple financial crimes: one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, one count of tax fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of wire fraud, and one count of obstruction of justice. Peter Tarantino, the couple's accountant, was also charged for his involvement. In 2022, Chrisley and his wife were convicted of all counts. The reality TV patriarch was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie is serving out seven behind bars.