Chase Chrisley Reveals Impact of His Parents’ Arrest on His Life

Todd Chrisley’s Prison Nightmare: “My Worst Fear Came True” After Son’s Arrest

For Todd and Julie Chrisley, the harsh reality of their prison sentences was brutally compounded by a parent’s deepest anxiety. “When I had to find out about my son’s arrest while I was in prison, it makes me afraid,” Todd Chrisley revealed in a recent interview, discussing a pivotal moment for his family as they promote their new Lifetime series, Chrisley’s Back to Reality.

The arrest in question involved their 29-year-old son, Chase, who has grown up in the public eye since their original show, Chrisley Knows Best, premiered when he was just 15. The world watched the family’s dramatic downfall, but the turmoil didn’t end with the parents’ incarceration. Earlier this year, Chase was arrested for simple battery, an incident he now admits was fueled by a downward spiral of alcohol abuse.

“After my parents went away… I would just go and go and go,” Chase explained, admitting he took his former life for granted. “When you lose the backbone of your family, like there’s nothing that can prepare you for that. I just turned to drinking.”

For Todd, the news was heartbreaking but not unexpected. “I don’t know that I was shocked, because I had been wanting Chase for years to stop with the drink,” he stated. A teetotaler himself, Todd had long warned his son that “nothing in a bar was going to bring you no good fortune.” He soberly concluded that it took the humiliation of an arrest for his son to finally listen. “It took them getting a mug shot for him to say, ‘Okay, maybe daddy was right.'”

Chase doesn’t dispute his father’s assessment. “He’s right,” he conceded. “I’ve always had to learn the hard way, and this was no exception.”

The incident crystallizes the unique agony the couple faced while incarcerated. Julie Chrisley described the suffocating helplessness of watching her children struggle from behind bars. “Our time stood still in there as our kids are living their lives, as they’re making mistakes,” she said. “The worst fear that you have… is the fear of something happening to someone that you love while you’re in there. And something happened to someone you love. So your worst fear came true.”

Despite the ordeal, which Chase confirmed contributed to a stress-related health scare he has since recovered from, the family maintains a perspective of resilience. Now sober, Chase believes sharing his story is essential. “If someone can learn from my mistakes, then it was worth it,” he affirmed.

Todd echoed this sentiment, rejecting a “victim mentality” and pointing out that many families face far worse tragedies. “We didn’t lose our child,” he said, reflecting on other inmates he met who had. “We are still very blessed. Our children are healthy… we’re not worried about how we’re going to have our next meal. And so many people are.”