The Chrisley family has had to navigate many different hurdles over the years — and finding a system that worked regarding Chloe Chrisley, the biological daughter of Kyle Chrisley and his ex Angela Johnson, is one of them.
In 2016, Chloe was legally adopted by Kyle’s parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, amid his ongoing struggles, making the now-12-year-old tween their legal daughter and sibling to the couple’s other children. But the transition wasn’t easy, as the pair’s daughter Savannah Chrisley tells PEOPLE exclusively Todd, 55, had a hard time with the idea of his biological granddaughter calling him “dad.”
“There was never a time where my dad said, ‘You have to call me dad,’ or, ‘You have to call her, [Julie], mom,'” says Savannah, who recently launched Good Girl RX. “My dad fought against it because he felt guilt at the fact that his son’s child is now calling him dad. My dad felt a guilt he never should have felt, because if Chloe’s biological father would’ve been a father, then we wouldn’t be in this position.”
“Chloe struggles with that, because she hates it. She hates it when people say, ‘Oh, that’s your aunt,’ or, ‘That’s your grandpa.’ Because that’s not what she identifies with,” the 27-year-old adds.
“A child psychologist said, ‘If she calls you mom, that’s because you make her feel the love of a mother. You show up like a mom does. You show up like a dad does. So, if that’s what she identifies with? Let her call you that.'”
For Savannah, it’s “infuriating” for her when they call Chloe anything but her sister. “My heart, honestly, breaks for Chloe because Chloe has not had an easy upbringing,” she says.
“The only mother and father she’s known is my mom and dad, and she calls them mom, dad,” she continues. “She had to endure the loss of parents twice [amid Todd and Julie’s imprisonment]. She struggles tremendously with those things.”
Chloe, as well as her brother Grayson Chrisley, 18, is a top priority for Savannah, who became the legal guardian to her younger siblings as their parents reported to prison in January 2023 after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion. Although the pair are working to get their case appealed, Savannah still has worked to provide and care for her her siblings.
With Chloe, in particular, the Unlocked podcast host says, “We’ve made a lot of progress. She’s in therapy every single week. She’s with the proper doctors. I’ve made sure that no matter what, she has the proper care around her. But it’s still difficult. It’s difficult. Kids are mean at school. Kids will say stuff.”
Chloe is also holding out hope that soon enough, they’ll be able to get their parents back home, which is something the Growing Up Chrisley alum has been working toward from the moment the couple entered their respective facilities.
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“Chloe, she saw all the January Sixers get pardoned on TV, and she was like, ‘Is it our turn next?’ That’s what I have to fight for,” Savannah adds. “I have to fight for a little girl that’s asking, ‘When is it our turn? When is it mom and dad’s turn to come home?’ And when I look at her, I know that’s my only job right now, is to get them home.”
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