Savannah Chrisley says therapy has been a "saving grace" as she continues to shoulder the role of caregiver for her younger siblings amid her parents' incarceration.
The 26-year-old reality star, and host of the podcast Unlocked With Savannah Chrisley, spoke with ET's Rachel Smith at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, addressing how her parents -- Todd and Julie Chrisley -- have been dealing with their prison sentences and how her 17-year-old brother, Grayson, and 11-year-old sister, Chloe, are managing at home.
"They're in therapy every week," Savannah says. "It's just been a saving grace, you know, but it's also hard for me because I'm like, going, going, going and at the end of the night, I kinda hit a wall. I like to say, like, every few months I hit a wall and I just break because I'm like, 'OK, I'm exhausted. Like, mentally, emotionally, just, it's tough because I'm having to play mom, dad, sister, and it's hard to differentiate between all of them."
Savannah says that honesty has been the best policy throughout her family's legal drama, as she does her best to keep Grayson and Chloe informed and well-versed in deciphering headlines.
"They know all of it," Savannah says. "My parents were never like, 'Alright, we're going to hide all this from them.' They know it, unfortunately, they see it online. So our view point is, we would rather them hear it from us before they see it because, as we know, like, not everything is truth that is written. There's a little bit of truth, and then it's spun into this whole story that will sell. So they've always gotten the truth from us firsthand."
She adds, "Unfortunately, they've grown up really fast because of it. But, I mean, what kid doesn't need therapy? What adult doesn't need therapy? You know, it's life. You go through this and, for me, it's just about how you deal with it."
Todd Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley, Julie Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley and Faye Chrisley in a 2020 episode of "Chrisley Knows Best."
The family resides in the same Nashville home that appeared in their former reality series, Chrisley Knows Best. Savannah says that keeping a routine is key for her family. Chloe attends school, Grayson is homeschooled, and Savannah keeps busy to provide for them.
"I have like a hustler mentality, it's just how I am," she says. "I got it from both my parents and I don't think I'm too good to get out here and work. I don't think I'm like better than anyone else to have to do what the normal everyday person has to do."
For Savannah, her growing roster of business endeavors includes a podcast and a real estate business, among other side projects. Currently, she says, she's in negotiations for filming a Very Cavallari-esque reality show about her Chrisley and Co. brokerage, which specializes in high-end properties, and the personal lives of her team members.
"I have two kids to take care of, I have myself I have to take care of, and I've tried to put myself in a position to where the kids’ lives don't change," she says. "My life may change, but theirs hasn't, so if I have to go without for them to have, I will if I have to. And I feel like that’s just, like, a parent's mentality. You do for your kids as best as you can."
That includes making frequent visits to see Todd and Julie in prison.
"Every time I go, they go," she says. "They love going to visit and seeing mom and dad, 'cause you get to hug, you get to talk, you still get to see each other."
But with the holiday season approaching, Savannah is well aware that Thanksgiving and Christmas will look a bit different this year.
"We haven't really figured it out yet, 'cause this is the first holiday," she shares, noting that Todd and Julie have asked them not to come spend the holidays visiting a prison.
"They're like, 'You're not doing that,'" Savannah says.
Todd and Julie were convicted on fraud charges in November 2022 and reported to prison in January. Todd is serving his reduced 10-year prison sentence in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie is serving a reduced five-year sentence in Lexington, Kentucky.
They are both appealing the conviction, and Savannah told ET, "Now we're just waiting on the appeals court to rule on how to move forward."
"Hopefully things go in our favor and they'll be home sooner than later," she shares. "I know how hard I'm fighting, and so I hope and pray. Obviously nothing has gone in our favor whatsoever, so I just hope, literally everyday, I just pray."
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