Is Chrisley Knows Best Scripted?
What really goes on behind the scenes of "Chrisley Knows Best?" As reality fans will know, the popular USA Network show has kept fans entertained for nine seasons since it debuted back in 2014, lifting the lid on what life is really like for real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his wife, Julie Chrisley, and their brood.
Naturally, a la pretty much every reality show going these days, there's been plenty of drama from the stars both on and off camera. One of the most notable has to be in the summer of 2022 when Todd and Julie were found guilty of bank fraud, tax evasion, and submitting false loan documents, per AP, which shone a bright spotlight on the famous southern family. That came after Todd filed for bankruptcy back in 2012, when it was reported he owed an eye watering $50 million, but only had $4.2 million in assets. People also claimed that, in the year "Chrisley Knows Best" began, Todd had mortgages worth $12 million, a bill from the IRS for more than $595,000, and had supposedly borrowed $4.4 million from Julie. Yikes.
So, with all that financial drama hitting the headlines, that's had fans questioning just how much of the family's reality drama is actually real.
Chrisley Knows Best has been accused of being fake
"Chrisley Knows Best" has, like many reality shows, faced its fair share of fake allegations over the years, with the true reality of what goes on being called into question amid the Chrisley's legal drama. One of the most telling hints things may not all be as they seem actually came from Todd Chrisley's own attorney, Bruce Morris, when he claimed in court in May that Todd has been putting on somewhat of an act, explaining of the USA Network show, per Insider, "Some of it is real, and some of it is not." He then pointed to an episode in which Todd claimed he and his family could spend upwards of $300,000 a month on clothes, which Morris said was not actually true. "He was in bankruptcy at the time. It's all part of the sizzle. It's all part of the show. It's all part of the act."
That's not the first time the series has faced allegations it's not 100% true blue. Chrisley's own son has even accused the show of being fake, claiming in a bombshell interview with Daily Mail in 2014, "The whole thing is fake. He micromanages everything so if you say something and he doesn't like it he'll say, 'Stop' and tell you what to say and you'll do it again." He also suggested that, in the show, his family are living in a world where their financial troubles don't exist.
Todd Chrisley has shut down the fake rumors
Sources have also dished on the alleged behind the scenes trickery that may go on over at "Chrisley Knows Best" — which is already renewed for Season 10, by the way — with a Radar Online insider claiming in 2017, "Todd uses a team of comedy writers for his show, and has been using them to write dialogue for several seasons. Todd does not come up with this stuff on his own, and is not as funny as people think." They also purported that several scenes have been reshot if they didn't come across humorous enough and at least half of what the cast says is supposedly not actually their own words.
But while "Chrisley Knows Best" has had its fair share of allegations it's not a true representation of what goes on with Todd Chrisley and his family, he's always denied the claims. Speaking to Life & Style in January, he asked, "Who would go on television and allow that to be their script? I mean, you can't script us. First of all, we're not bright enough to follow you in a script, so you're going to get whatever — if it comes up, it comes out."