ENCORE Chrisley Identity Crisis: Life before and after the cameras feat. Lindsie Chrisley

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Cate & Ty Break It Down

ENCORE Chrisley Identity Crisis: Life Before and After the Cameras feat. Lindsie Chrisley

Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Tyler and Catelynn Baltierra
Guest: Lindsie Chrisley

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Overview

This episode dives deep into Lindsie Chrisley’s personal journey before, during, and after her family’s years in the reality TV spotlight. Lindsie opens up to Cate and Ty about her experiences growing up in a blended family, navigating the pressures and manipulation of reality TV production, managing public scandals, her struggles with identity, and the impact these have had on her relationships, mental health, and motherhood. The conversation is candid, raw, and explores the realities beneath the glossy exterior of reality television.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunion & Catching Up (00:09 – 00:44)

• The trio reflects on their last meeting pre-COVID and the strangeness of being reunited, setting a candid and comfortable tone for the conversation.
• Lindsie opens immediately about having left reality TV and significant changes since then.

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2. Stepping Away from Reality TV (00:51 – 01:36)

• Lindsie left "Chrisley Knows Best" due to the negative impact on her marriage and not wanting her child filmed without compensation.
• At the same time, her parents were facing serious legal troubles and eventual imprisonment.
• Quote: "I just made the choice, personally, for myself to step away from that. It wasn't serving my marriage well, which ultimately ended anyway." — Lindsie (00:59)

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3. Origins of Reality TV Career (02:17 – 11:50)

• Lindsie provides a detailed backstory of how her family became a reality TV focus—her father’s business reputation, a chance industry connection at Fashion Week, and the pitch for a pilot sizzle reel.
• She was estranged from her parents when the opportunity arose due to a rift over personal independence in college.
• TV production's manipulative side is highlighted, including pressure to hide her marriage and pregnancy for better storylines.
• Quote: "Take off the wedding ring. No one’s gonna know you’re married. You need to wear loose clothing, like, loose dresses. Nobody’s gonna know that you’re pregnant." — Lindsie (08:24)
• Lindsie describes feeling forced into contracts, with the production company threatening to sue her if she didn't sign after participating in initial filming.
• Quote: "I'm being threatened by this production company that they're going to sue me for $40,000." — Lindsie (09:05)
• Family conflict and personal authenticity issues were exploited by producers for drama.

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4. Show Structure & Family Dynamics (13:36 – 23:44)

• Once the show was picked up, Lindsie found herself pushed further into a scripted narrative that didn’t reflect her reality—especially given her limited involvement and strained family relationships.
• She disliked the loss of control over her story, unlike podcasting which she later embraced ("That’s why I love podcasts ... I have freedom to control my story," — Lindsie, 15:38).
• Her marriage was shown only minimally, setting up a dual-life scenario where her real family was excluded from TV.
• Quote: "It never felt authentic...it wasn't authentic." — Lindsie (17:37)
• Lindsie describes the show’s structure: storylines assigned by producers; the inability to feature her real-life husband led to living "a double life."

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5. Personal Toll, Estrangement & Identity Crisis (18:46 – 27:00)

• Lindsie is estranged from all her siblings, attributing much of it to the show’s competitive and divisive nature.
• The show prioritized more dramatic or “heavy” storylines for her, which she found emotionally exhausting.
• She discusses the mental toll of pretending for TV, feelings of disconnection, and growing resentment between her and her husband.
• Quote: "It almost allowed me to live a double life." — Lindsie (19:54)
• The experience resulted in an "identity crisis": "I did have that. ... What’s real? Who am I? ... I don’t even know." — Lindsie (26:03)

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6. Public Scandal: The Sex Tape Incident (30:11 – 35:44)

• Amidst her parents’ legal issues, Lindsie became embroiled in a sex tape scandal involving an ex-friend and a hidden dog cam.
• She shares how this, combined with tabloid intrusion, deepened family divides and public scrutiny.
• Quote: "If there is something like this out there, I need to know about it. Like, I have a child." — Lindsie (34:09)
• The incident led to further estrangement from her family and increased her desire to leave the spotlight.

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7. Childhood, Blended Family & Parental Trauma (40:30 – 53:39)

• Lindsie candidly describes the aftermath of her parents' divorce at age six, having primary custody with her father, the blended family dynamics, and the pain of separation from her biological mother.
• She describes her dad’s strict boundaries with her stepmom and how that limited a secure maternal bond for her.
• Quote: "Kids are collateral damage in a divorce. ... you’ve got the kids that are stuck between those parents." — Lindsie (42:25)
• Lindsie shares her adult decision to be adopted by her stepmom at 19, hoping to feel whole within the family, but ultimately, the gesture didn’t change how she felt.

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8. Mental Health Journey & The Power of Therapy (59:28 – 68:52)

• Lindsie opens up about severe depression and anxiety, especially post-scandal, including intrusive thoughts and the struggle to keep up daily appearances.
• The support of her ex-husband in recognizing her depression and helping her seek therapy was pivotal.
• Cate and Ty share stories about mental health, normalizing therapy, and the importance of proactivity and community support.
• Quote: "I was depressed...I didn't even know what depression was." — Lindsie (60:06)
• They discuss how past childhood trauma resurfaces in parenting their own children.
• Therapy and self-awareness are framed as ongoing, lifelong processes crucial for healing and breaking generational cycles.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Note | |-----------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:59 | Lindsie | "I just made the choice, personally, for myself to step away from that..." | | 08:24 | Lindsie | "Take off the wedding ring. No one's gonna know you're married..." | | 09:05 | Lindsie | "I'm being threatened by this production company that they're going to sue me..." | | 15:38 | Lindsie | "...I have freedom to control my story...that’s why I love podcasts." | | 17:37 | Lindsie | "It never felt authentic...it wasn't authentic." | | 19:54 | Lindsie | "It almost allowed me to live a double life." | | 26:03 | Lindsie | "I did have that. ... What’s real? Who am I? ... I don’t even know." | | 34:09 | Lindsie | "If there is something like this out there, I need to know about it. Like, I have a child." | | 42:25 | Lindsie | "Kids are collateral damage in a divorce...you've got the kids that are stuck between those parents." | | 60:06 | Lindsie | "I was depressed...I didn't even know what depression was." |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:51 – Lindsie’s decision to leave reality TV
• 02:17 – How "Chrisley Knows Best" originated
• 08:09 – Manipulation behind the scenes of reality TV
• 13:36 – Early family disconnects and filming realities
• 18:46 – Estrangement from siblings and identity crisis
• 30:11 – Sex tape scandal and fallout
• 40:30 – Childhood traumas and blended family issues
• 59:28 – Therapy, depression, and breaking stigma

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The Episode’s Tone & Takeaway

From humorous nostalgia to sobering, honest reflection, this episode doesn’t shy away from the dark complexities of fame and family. Lindsie’s candor, supported by Cate & Ty’s own vulnerability, highlight the healing power of sharing truth, the importance of mental health, and the authentic struggles behind reality TV’s artificial gloss.

Listener Takeaway:
No amount of fame or perceived family function on TV can substitute for authentic connection or personal well-being. Lindsie’s story is one of survival, self-discovery, and ultimately—resilience.

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Transcript

[Host 1]

Good. We're here. We made it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

We're on air.

[Host 2]

Finally. It's our turn to ask you questions.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I know. I feel like I haven't seen y' all since New York City, like, years ago.

[Host 2]

Yes, I know. That's.

[Host 1]

Oh, yeah, that's right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Remember we sat on that porn couch?

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Oh, yes.

[Host 2]

And we didn't find it out until we were already been, like, sitting on it forever.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So just disgusting.

[Host 1]

That's a long time ago.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It was years, like, maybe. Was it before COVID Yes.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it was before COVID Because y' all already.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Were y' all at something for Teen Mom.

[Host 2]

We were probably there for a union.

[Host 1]

Yeah, we're there for.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. Something. Yeah.

[Host 2]

But it was years, years ago.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That was so long ago.

[Host 1]

So how. How was life? Like, how's everything going?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Wow. There's just been so much change since then. I left reality tv.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Host 1]

And why is that?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I just made the choice, personally, for myself to step away from that. It wasn't serving my marriage well, which ultimately ended anyway.

[Host 1]

Oh, okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

My child was getting ready to start school, and I didn't want him filmed. There was no pay for my child on that show.

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 1]

No.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so that just accompanied with my parents having some legal issues that were going on. They went to trial, were convicted, and are both in federal prison now.

[Host 2]

And is that. Is that your dad and your stepmom or your bylaw?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So it's your stepmom, but she did adopt me.

[Host 2]

Oh, okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Because to be honest, we don't really know anything about anything. Like, I know that you. I know Chris Lee knows best. I know that. That. All that stuff, but as far as, like, the details, I don't know anything.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, Like, I don't know.

[Host 2]

I mean, obviously, I did see it in the media. I did see about, like, your parents and all of that, but I didn't know the nitty gritty of it.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And even though is. I don't understand really what happened or, like, what. Or were you involved in all that or were you, like, not.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Oh, in the legal stuff. No.

[Host 1]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was not involved in that. It was just them. None of the kids were involved. I mean, involved in the sense of, like, going to trial and stuff. We were all there. But as far as, like, the legalities of the situation. My parents were indicted.

[Host 1]

Okay, but, like, how did that. All that start? Okay, take me back. Because I don't know how, like, where.

[Host 2]

Whatever you feel comfortable.

[Host 1]

Yeah, obviously. But, like, you know, Christy knows best. How did that even happen?

[Host 2]

Like, yeah, I want to go from, like, like, to the beginning. Like, how did your family even. How did that ever even happen? How was reality TV brought up to them? Were you guys always a known family before that happened?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, I would say known in Atlanta. My dad, as a businessman.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Was known. But as far as, like, thoughts on tv was never, like, we never saw that coming. Yeah. My dad went to New New York Fashion Week and became friends with someone who was in the business of pitching shows for networks.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And she became privy to, like, a lot of family stuff that was going on in the intricacies of the family and the dynamic. And so he was asked if the family would shoot a sizzle reel and had no idea about anything about tv. So he's like, you got to tell me, like, more about this information. At that time, I was not even in communication with my parents. Oh, okay.

[Host 2]

How old were you about that time?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, I was in a sophomore in college at that point, so I guess, what, like 19?

[Host 2]

Yeah. So older. 20 years old.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

My parents, I grew up in a very religious household, very conservative household. I lived at home for one year, my first year of college, and my dad had made a deal with me that if I got my grades and was able to maintain my college life, AKA not drinking and not sleeping around, then they would buy me a condo. So I kept up my end of the deal. Go into my sophomore year, parents buy me a condo, and I started letting my boyfriend sleep over. And my dad found out about it and he was like, that's not going to happen. So I made the decision for my own life. I'm an adult.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Doing this on my own. I went to school completely on scholarship. My parents paid nothing for that. And I think that they paid for.

[Host 1]

The condo but didn't pay for school.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, there was no.

[Host 1]

That's weird.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No money for school. I was the first child in my family, actually. I was a first generation college student.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. For you. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so it's very important to me. And I moved in with my boyfriend at the time, which then became my husband.

[Host 2]

Yeah. So your dad kicked you out of the condo also, or did you just decide to leave?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I decided to leave. I knew that that was coming because I was not going to change my lifestyle or anything that I was doing, so inevitably that was going to happen.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I just, I guess probably that was me trying to control my own destiny.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I was like, well, he's gonna make me leave anyway, so I'm gonna just Go ahead and fucking go.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I had two vehicles at the time, put the keys on the counter, left all the contents of the condo, Just took my personal items, went to my boyfriend's house, stayed there for the rest of college, got married my last semester of school, and got pregnant within six months of being married.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

How long were you with your boyfriend before, like, graduating? How long were you with them in total before you guys?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, I had this great idea whenever I was going to school that I was just going to be a sorority girl. Like, I was just going to live up this, like, college experience, and I was just going to go to school and party when I wasn't going to school. Yeah, I started school in August, and I met him in September, and then we, like, never broke up. So I had a boyfriend all through college and then ended up marrying him. Him and my dad did not get along at all, really.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Definitely cut from different cloths, for sure.

[Host 1]

Like, why do they not get along?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think that they just came from very different.

[Host 2]

Like, views and stuff.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I would not necessarily say views. I think it was more so, like, my boyfriend was on the baseball team. My dad was not into athletics. You know, he was a businessman. He thought that my boyfriend in college should have been on a job. And his parents were like, as long as you keep your grades and you're eligible to play baseball, that's the only job that you have to have. And so I think that my dad just wanted me to be with somebody who was a working man like him.

[Host 1]

Is that what kind of what you felt like you might like? Okay, so when you say businessman like that. Real estate, was it? What was he?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, so he. He owned an asset management company that was a liaison between when foreclosures happen, like, the bank and then the new buyer. And so that's what his company did. They acted as liaison to liquidate those assets. So he was very, very successful in that. And then he was approached for the Sizzle reel.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And he was like, I mean, I guess we're gonna do it. And of course, you guys know tv. Y' all are veterans, so I don't need to tell you anything. They sell you this dream, right?

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's like, oh, you're only investing, like, seven days of your time. Something might come about, something might not. But it's just seven days, which that part is truly.

[Host 2]

They don't even know if, you know, the higher ups are going to like the sizzle reel. And so then it's like a very long seven Days of work. And then it is.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And you don't know what to expect.

[Host 2]

Right?

[Host 1]

You don't.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so you walk into this situation and you're like, what the fuck even is this?

[Host 1]

Like, right, what the fuck's happening?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

There's mics and, like, all these cameras around, and no one knows what the hell's going on. And we don't know what's actually going to happen. So my dad had already been in this mindset of this show was going to get picked up. I don't think that he knew how it was going to happen. I don't think he could see that far into it because he didn't know TV in that way. But I think that he knew that there was enough dynamic there that someone would be interested.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So he immediately already went into producer mode and he was like, you need to take off your wedding ring because you're not going to know you're married. You need to.

[Host 1]

Who's he telling this to?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Me.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. Really?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. So he immediately.

[Host 1]

For what reason, though? What would that.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because he wanted it for season one. So if it got picked up, that it would be storyline for season one. So he was like, take off the wedding ring. No one's gonna know that you're married. You need to wear loose clothing, like, loose dresses. Nobody's gonna know that you're pregnant. So for this entire seven days of filming the sizzle reel, no one knew that I was married. No one knew that I was pregnant. Everyone.

[Host 1]

How did that feel for you, though, to have your own dad say, hey, like, pretty much, hi, who you are. Don't like that. I mean, you almost feel like. What did you feel like?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, I walked from the sizzle reel.

[Host 1]

Okay. Okay. You're like, fuck this.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, yeah, it was a little more than that, but, yeah, you guys, like.

[Host 1]

Got a fight about it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, yeah, it was a big deal because I was now a part of four or five days of this sizzle reel. And then I walk on, like, day six or seven, and then I'm being threatened by this production company that they're going to sue me for $40,000. Mind you, I am just coming out of college. I am newly married, pregnant, and they're like, now that you've been a part of these five days or whatever, this is what we're pitching. So what we're pitching has to be consistent with what's going to be on tv potentially.

[Host 2]

Whoa.

[Host 1]

What?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I did not want to do the deal at all.

[Host 2]

I was blame you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was the last child to sign the contract.

[Host 1]

How many child. How many children? They all five. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Wow.

[Host 1]

Dang. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. So it was. It was all of us, like, as a collective, and I was told by the production company that it was basically all of us signed the contract or like, it's a no deal situation.

[Host 2]

Oh, wow. So all of you are none of it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yep.

[Host 2]

So then I take it your dad's probably pressuring you with that, too.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, everybody was pressuring.

[Host 1]

They were like, if you don't do it, we're all going to be screwed.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Wow. That is so you're manipulated, for sure.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But I wasn't even a big part of the show, and that's what's so crazy about it. I think that they liked the dynamic of the fact that there was always. From the time that they started filming us, there was conflict with me and my dad, and we did not see eye to eye on a lot of things. So I think that they liked that dynamic. I have a brother that's 15 months younger than me that also deals with substance issues and pretty much always has for as long as I can remember. And so they like that dynamic, too, because obviously they like filming that kind of stuff. It adds a different view. Right. Of things. And then three children that were still in the home. And so how old were the three?

[Host 1]

So they're younger.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. High school. Two high schoolers, and then an elementary school child at the time.

[Host 1]

So this is like one, like, little.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Little one.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Wow. Holy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

That's crazy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I ultimately ended up signing the contract, and I said, I do not want this ever to change. Like, there was already issues. And I said, I don't want it to ever, like, make any issues worse because this is now being televised. Right. So they send the sizzle reel out to who the hell knows? And I believe it was like, eight networks or nine networks, and we got eight offers.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so I think Oprah's network was who came back and was the highest bidder, but there was more marketing budget with USA from what I was told. And so that's where we landed with reruns on Bravo and E. This episode.

[Host 2]

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[Lindsay Chrisley]

That's better.

[Host 2]

H E lp.com Break it down. Thanks Better Help for sponsoring this episode.

[Host 1]

Wow. Okay, so then. And so the, the. Because I never watched the show ever. So the show just follows your whole family, your siblings and everything. So did they get involved in your marriage? Like, when did that do they, like how do they announce it? Hey, now I'm married and I'm actually having a kid.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So actually it was found out before the sizzle was even done. Because again, when you aren't familiar with being on TV when you're wearing mics around, right?

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You forget that you're wearing mics, right?

[Host 2]

And you just speak like how you normally would.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I'm sitting in a makeup chair getting hair and makeup and my dad and I are having a conversation and production is listening to what's on the mic, right? And they find out I'm pregnant and I'm married.

[Host 2]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, so it like blew up the. The whole spot. I did not love being on reality tv and that's why Kayl and I decided to start the pot. When I left reality tv, I kind of sat out six months and I was like, I need to truly decide, like, what it is that I wanted to do. I very much had a very traditional role in my marriage. Where does that mean? Stay at home.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Okay. And I took care of my son and he went to work and came home. Like a very traditional life. Right. And I loved that. I did not love the idea of. I knew that it would catch up with my child at some point. With him starting kindergarten, I wanted him to be out of the TV world before kindergarten ever started. Just because kids are.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

They talk and they say things and I watched it happen. My son started kindergarten when my parents had just been indicted.

[Host 2]

Oh, great.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so little girls on the playground saying, my mom knows, you know, who your grandparents are, and we see them on the news and like all of these things. So I wanted to try to remove that, but I still wanted to stay somewhat in the space because I do like entertainment.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But I was not okay with the idea of having a production team tell me what the actual narrative of something was that wasn't. And that's why I love podcasts.

[Host 1]

Right. Because it's freedom. I have freedom to control my story. Because like you said, I mean, obviously I don't think people really realize who are not involved in reality tv that like, I could say one thing and then if these higher up producers don't really want to go with that route.

[Host 2]

Or they want to twist it.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Then they will. And then you're kind of at the mercy of whatever's ends up on tv because it's not like we get to watch each episode and. And kind of you say, yeah, that's cool. That's like we don't get any say so. And what's air on tv so we don't have to like, just kind of throw our hands up.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, and it's hard because after you have filmed something and you guys know this all too well, you film something and it's cut and sliced to benefit whatever might not even be your producer, but it is an exec that's at the network that's like, hey, this is what we're going to use. And it's like a snippet of a conversation and not the full picture. And that's why I like the podcast world, because you have actual control to share everything that you want to share. And. And it's not twisted and it's not turned and it's straight from your voice.

[Host 1]

You have more creative control, which is really, trust me, we had creative control.

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 1]

With the show a lot different with team, we had a little bit more.

[Host 2]

Because you get to. You get to control your authentic story. And, like, this is the real story.

[Host 1]

Yeah. I also feel like, though, because so since. So you were actually on this show, you said kindergarten, so you had to have been on it for what, four years?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, I was. Yeah. For five seasons.

[Host 1]

Okay. And was your husband involved in that?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Very minimally. He got a job straight out of college and worked 9 to 5. And so you guys know, with a production schedule, and then my parents lived in Georgia when the show started and then ended up moving to Tennessee, to Nashville. And so then that required travel for the show. So it became very hard because I'm not there every single day. So then it became very structured in storyline.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Of this is what you're participating in instead of it being actual real life. So it never felt authentic.

[Host 2]

Real.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Right, right. Because it's like, okay, well, you're coming here for these dinner scenes and for this playdate and for this sleepover. And it just didn't feel. It wasn't authentic.

[Host 1]

It didn't feel. You're not aligned. I mean, you're not aligned with reality in that point because you're just kind of doing a job.

[Host 2]

I'm not like, with my family, which is weird. My real family.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Which makes it even weirder because I'm assuming your other siblings are all involved in this too. So are you close with them? Are you, like.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I'm not.

[Host 1]

You're not at all. Are you serious? Strange. From all your siblings?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

From all of my siblings. I am. I just think that that. And it's. It's nothing negative against them. I think that we can live in the same space and entertainment. My sister also has a podcast.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

We can live in the same space doing the same things and not necessarily agree or align. And it's no hate. It's no ill will. It's just we don't serve each other in each other's lives.

[Host 2]

Yeah. And do you. Do you feel like the show contributed to that?

[Host 1]

I do, yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, I do. You guys have probably experienced some of that with other cast members. You guys can probably relate where certain people get more airtime than others and. And it's like, okay, I've put in X amount of time, so I should be getting that too. Season. I believe it was season five. The producer that was. That I worked with on the show had come to me and my ex husband. Now my ex husband. He was not my ex husband at the time, but came to Us and asked if we would be willing to take some of the episodes for storyline B. And because they had it set up, like, storyline A and storyline B for every episode.

[Host 1]

Really? So they had. Oh, wow. That's way different than the 18 mom. Yeah, that's way different.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Actually. I want to talk about that with y' all in just a second. So my dad was not okay with that. He was like, no, we're not going to do that. We're going to continue running things the way that they have been running. And so it just never felt truly authentic to me because my husband wasn't involved. And that was my life at the time. And so when I'm not showing that part.

[Host 1]

Part.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It almost allowed me to live a double life.

[Host 1]

Yeah, right, right. Or kind of condone.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It felt that in a sense, because it was like, I'm doing all of these things without my husband, and then I'm going back home, and it's a completely different life than what I'm doing on tv.

[Host 1]

Did you feel a disconnect? Like, you had to felt some kind of huge disconnect from, oh, here I am in my real life, in my real house with my husband and my child and my real family. And then I got to do the. This weird. I mean, you had to have felt a tug of war.

[Host 2]

And also I feel like it would make you feel, like, not mentally.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, oh, I was not identity.

[Host 2]

Like, you know. Yeah. Like, it would mess with your mental, like, health.

[Host 1]

I feel like then you start questioning everything, like, what am I really? What do I really want to do? What. What are these intentions? Are they pure? Are they not? That would, like, literally, that would drive me nuts.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So for the biggest portion of the show that I participated in was around 20, between 2015 and 2017. I filed for divorce for the first time in 2017 and took my son, his name's Jackson, to Nashville and lived with my parents for a little while. Oh. And was still actively filming. That did feel most authentic to me because I was there every day.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And my parents were walking through what I was going through with me every day.

[Host 1]

Was that covered on camera, though, like, the divorce and all that kind of.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Stuff, or was that me telling my parents that I was going to get a divorce? Yes. And then I kind of want to speak on how we did our interviews. And I don't know, y' all do. What is it called? Like, the.

[Host 2]

We do, like, diary.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Diary cams, which I love Yalls diary cams, by the way. We did not do it like that. So to answer your question about covering it on the show, they did a scene in my parents living room with me walking in and telling them that I was getting divorced.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And that was very hard for me because I felt like everybody else got to do the fun things on the show that weren't heavy. And then to have me go in and tell my parents that I was getting divorced, it just always felt like I was a part of like a heavy story.

[Host 1]

More controversial, more. Yeah.

[Host 2]

Or harder things going on in my life. It's like, oh, wow, look at, I'm the kid and everything is hard in my life. Yeah.

[Host 1]

Hope you had fun on your ski vacation that you filmed. And now I got to come in here and tell you that I could see where.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And that just made it like really, really hard. So I always asked production, hey, like when we are doing these heavier scenes, can we please schedule the interviews that are consistent with these scenes that you guys are going to need during that week? Because once that scene is over, emotionally you go through all these emotions and especially with like divorce. Right?

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was so back and forth with my ex husband that I didn't even really know if it's what I wanted. It felt like it was the right thing that I needed to do and I knew that I needed to make some type of forward progress.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So even if it was the wrong choice, at least I was walking through those emotions and it didn't feel permanent because it's like, okay, well this is just a divorce filing. If I really don't want this, I don't have to follow through with it. But I'm going to see how I feel once I file for it. I leave. We're disconnected, all of these things. I go and do this scene and it's not until seven days later that they film the interview. And I'm already like, I don't think I want to get divorced right now.

[Host 1]

I'm totally.

[Host 2]

Yeah, you need to catch it in the moment. Like, not.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, like the diary cam, I feel like would have been great for something like that to kind of follow the. The following days of that instead of doing a sit down interview. And so I get into it with production because I'm like, I'm not in the same place as what I was when I did that scene.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And therefore this does not feel authentic and I'm a fraud for coming on here and saying what I am currently saying so that it matches with this scene.

[Host 2]

Now I'm lying. Now I'm lying.

[Host 1]

And the production wanted you Obviously, to, like, pretend that you were still wanting the divorce and stuff. Yes.

[Host 2]

Oh, for sure.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that is. And so. So, okay, so you and your husband got divorced, but was that. Did you think the show had a role to play in that at all?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't. I think some of just my actions, my mindset, the life that I was living versus what he was living was just not aligning. And I do. I think that we would be divorced today if I never got into entertainment. No, I don't think we would really. But I think because I. I did the TV show that started separating our lives. He was living a corporate life, doing all of the corporate things. I had a little bit of resentment for that because I'm like, if this TV thing goes away, he has built.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, all of these years in the corporate world, and then I'm going to.

[Host 1]

Have nothing and my investment's not going to pay off. Yeah, I get that.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So then there was, like, resentment that was starting to build there. And I traveled with my son, went with me everywhere for filming the show until it was time for him to start kindergarten. So not only was I filming the show, I was taking him everywhere with me.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so that's a lot. A lot of resentment that was being built. And then when I started the podcast, it was okay at first because I was home.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I do feel like I had more control over what I was doing, but at the same time, it still. Still was a division of, like, our lives, didn't they? No longer aligned.

[Host 1]

So did your husband support the podcast?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He did.

[Host 1]

Okay. Okay, good.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He was in full support of me doing the podcast. He was not in support of me doing the TV show at all.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

At all.

[Host 1]

So he did. He felt like it was not a good idea for you to keep doing the show.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. He did not.

[Host 2]

It sounds very toxic.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And it almost sounds like. It almost sounds, like, unnecessary, like. Like. Almost like tug of war. Like your family wants you to be this certain thing, and you're like, okay, I'll do it. But I'm not. But I will. Because, you know, it's like, how do you even know or be able to differentiate what's authentic to me and what's not? It almost would to me. It almost feels it creates some kind of identity issue. Like, I don't even know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I did have that.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Like, what's real? Who am I? What. What do I really want? Because now I'm all confused, and I. You got everything coming in different ears. Like, that's got to be, like, stressful.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, I wanted to fit into both places. And I think just a child coming from divorce. My parents divorced whenever I was six years old, and they had a very toxic divorce. Like, they still hate each other today and they've been divorced.

[Host 2]

So like your biological mom.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I think just like, from that and knowing that I wanted. I put so much pressure on myself in my marriage from never wanting to be my parents in that situation and then watching my marriage, like, slip away because I'm choosing to be on this show with my family and then wanting to fit in with my family, but also wanting to be the wife that I needed to be to my husband. I did feel like pulled both ways.

[Host 1]

That is horrible.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I don't necessarily think that they. I don't think if you asked my ex husband today, do you feel like you were pulling her? He would probably say no. If you ask my parents today, if they felt like they were pulling me, I think they would say no. I think it was an internal struggle that I was dealing with, trying to participate in both of those things in my life. Well, did you.

[Host 1]

Did you ever mention to your dad or anyone like, hey, this is feeling really not good for me?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No.

[Host 1]

Wow. I wonder what there were like. I wonder because. And all the. All your other siblings who were involved in the show, obviously, do you ever tell any of them?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, but I think that they were just in such different life phases than what I was dealing with. So. My sister was still in high school.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

She did the show until 20, 22 or 20.

[Host 2]

Also not that.

[Host 1]

Also not that long ago. Yeah. Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, not that long ago.

[Host 2]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So much. And I thought this was older.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, it just went on for a really long time. Wow. Yeah. I mean. Yeah. So I think that they were just in completely different life phases. They weren't having to navigate a marriage. And it's very different navigating a marriage than it is being in a relationship with someone.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so when they've had boyfriends and girlfriends that were appearing on the show, that's very different than trying to raise a child in a marriage living in another state.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You know.

[Host 2]

So how many of our listeners just love cereal? Like, you could eat cereal for every meal if somebody allowed you to. But don't we want something that's, like, wholesome and fueling simple and high quality ingredients instead of, you know, every other thing that we're trying to eat these days? I know in our household, there are multiple people here that just love cereal. Nova and Tyler are all about chocolate cereals. Well, Magic Spoon makes high protein, zero sugar cereal and treats reinvented from your childhood. Nova loves the chocolatey. I love the frosted.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Mm.

[Host 2]

Ah, it's so good. A nice cold bowl of Magic Spoon frosted at midnight. Something about it just is so good. And the even better part, every serving of Magic Spoon high protein cereal has 13 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of net carbs. Also, Magic Spoon has high protein treats, and they are crispy, crunchy, airy, and an easy way to get 12 grams of protein on the go. They come in mouthwatering flavors like marshmallow chocolate, peanut butter, and dark chocolate. I love the dark chocolate. So good. Both are great on the go pre or post workout or even as a midnight snack. Get $5 off your next order at magicspoon.com breakitdown or look for Magic Spoon on Amazon or even in your nearest grocery store. That's magic spoon.com/break it down for $5 off.

[Host 1]

So are they. So, and you said you don't talk to any of them anymore. And is that because they, like, do they. What do they blame you in any kind of way for, like, pulling out and saying that was. Or what's the reason for the estrangement?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think that there's just a lot of resentment. There was a scandal that I was involved in that was a sex tape scandal.

[Host 1]

So, like, okay, sex tape scandal. What does that mean? Like what? Like, because that's different for a lot of people. Like, Farah tried saying it was. She was in a had a sex tape scandal.

[Host 2]

You're like, that was not.

[Host 1]

This is a totally, like, produced porn. So what is this?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Okay, yeah, like, laying on me, girl.

[Host 1]

Laying on me the tea.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So, yes, when my parents were indicted in 2019, a couple of days after they were indicted, I was contacted at roughly, it was like 4:00am, 3:00am from TMZ.

[Host 1]

Oh.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And they were like, hey, we have a police report that you filed regarding threats for a sex tape. Oh. And.

[Host 1]

Oh, so you've already filed.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, because I had been made aware.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I went and per my attorney's advice.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He was like, go and file an informational report in your county. Like, you don't need to do anything with it, but if anything does come about this, at least it's documented. So it's not like you're backtracking on something to say, oh, well, I was already knowledgeable about this. Let it be known on paper that you were knowledgeable about it.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

There was no charges that I was trying to press. Like, nothing like that. It was just strictly like an informational report that I had been made aware of.

[Host 1]

I've never even heard of an information report before.

[Host 2]

So kind of like a paper trail, like, yeah, don't. All of a sudden it gets leaked somewhere and now you're trying to backtrack and say, oh, I was aware that they had this, or they threatened me with it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Exactly. Yeah, you're on it. So I get contacted. I'm assuming that what happened is that once my parents were indicted, they started looking into all kinds of stuff and people started leaking stuff to media outlets. TMZ got this, and I. My pants.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because I was like, oh, I only filed this as an informational report. Like, I never wanted anybody to know anything about this. While I was separated from my now ex husband, I dated a guy who was on the Bachelorette.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I spent the night at one of my ex best friend's house. She had a dog cam in one of the bedrooms.

[Host 2]

Weird.

[Host 1]

Oh, my God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yes. And supposedly was trying to shop a dog cam video of me and him. He had just come off of JoJo Fletcher's season of the Bachelorette. He was the runner up of that season. And I think because I was still on the show or had just recently been on the show, and he had just come off that season that, I don't know, somebody maybe thought they were gonna make money off of this. Right. And that's how it came about.

[Host 1]

Wow. This is your ex best friend.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

My ex best friend.

[Host 2]

So she secretly put a camera in your bedroom that you were staying in just in the hopes that she would, like, because you guys doing something and then did. And then is trying to leak it.

[Host 1]

But you're saying doggy cam. Like, what is.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, she claims. She claims that she never had the video. That's what she told the FBI because we were all interviewed by FBI.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

She claims that she never had the video and that if she did ever have the video, then it would have been deleted because it was on a puppy cam that she had for her dogs in her house and that it deleted every, like 30 days or something.

[Host 2]

To free up storage or whatever.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Exactly. That story just doesn't math to me.

[Host 1]

No, it. The math ain't mapping on that one.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so I. I went to the FBI because I was like, hey, if there is something like this out there, I need to know about it. Like, I have a child. I've also now reconciled at this point with my ex. Husband.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow. What do you mean, reconcile the guy back together?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, we're back together.

[Host 1]

Oh, my. Oh, my God. All right. The last thing you need. This is a little big.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't need this.

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Him seeing me, having sex with me, someone on a puppy cam video. Right.

[Host 2]

That's not healthy for anybody. Him, you, your child, your family.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Nobody.

[Host 2]

No.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I go to the FBI and I'm like, hey, this needs to be fully investigated. And if there is a tape, there does not need to be a tape. I never consented to a tape.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I never knew that I was being videoed on a tape. Like, was I having consensual relations? Absolutely. But was I consenting to anybody filming anything? Absolutely not.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So they kind of called all parties in. Everybody had a very different story. Local law enforcement called multiple people. Multiple people, then got attorneys involved, which is a very much a red flag.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Huge red flag.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

When you say you're going to come in for an interview with the police, and then the next day you have an attorney call and say your client's not coming in for any. An interview, that tells me that there maybe was something.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So all of that was transpiring. Media catches hold of all of this. So my parents have this indictment that's come down, and now this sex tape, and this is within days of each other. So, yes. It caused a huge divide in my family, and I just wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I'm like, I just want to do my podcast.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I just want to be with.

[Host 2]

My husband and live a life and. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. And, like, not be doing this. And I don't know. And maybe you guys would feel like this if you ever were not on Teen Mom. You would not. There is a price that you pay when you're on TV that you have to deal with a little bit of shit in the media.

[Host 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah. And your job is never done.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Never.

[Host 2]

It's 24. 7, 3, 6, 5.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

100%. But you're being paid. So that. That is a cost that, like, comes along with it, right?

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

If you are no longer being paid by Teen mom, would you want it to be a little bit more silent and less people talking? Or would you be okay with people doing the same stuff that they do now with you guys actively on tv?

[Host 1]

No, I'll be like, no. Everyone shut up for him. Yeah, we're done. We're done with.

[Host 2]

All done. Yeah. Done with it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And that's how I felt.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I'm like, if you Want to tune in to my podcast because you liked what you saw on Chris Lee Knows Best or you followed me because of that show. And I will always give credit to Chrisley Knows Best, regardless if I liked it or I didn't and have mixed feelings about it. There was good that came out of it. Right. I would have never had the platform to be able to do the podcast or ever be able to meet Kale if it wasn't for reality tv.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I will credit reality TV for that and my launching point.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But it was toxic to me and I would never want to be involved in that ever again. I love the way that you guys film. And I told Kayl that from the time that I became friends with her and became aware of how Yalls production is.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yalls crew is so much smaller.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And you guys document it as a docu series style. And you also do the diary cams, which I love. And I think it brings like the reality aspect to reality tv.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

This is actually real. Our real life go behind film ourselves, how we feel what just happened. But I feel like your experience was like, it was.

[Host 2]

It sounds very toxic.

[Host 1]

Toxic, manipulative. Just like, I don't even know how you could have survived more than one season because that sounds like. Oh, my God. And then especially having your whole family on top of it almost pressuring you to keep doing it. Like, that's like, I'm sad that you had had that. I wish you're. I wish the production would have been different because what channel was it on or what usa. Okay. God. It's like, what is.

[Host 2]

And that just made me. When you were explaining all of that, I was like, wow, I'm so blessed that we film a docu series.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Well, even. Even though it's hard filming a docu series because there's so much.

[Host 2]

Oh, God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Real to that and emotions to that.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That we kind of were able to manipulate and avoid in the way that we filmed. At least you're filming actual truth. Right?

[Host 1]

Authentic.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's authentic. And you can look back on it and say, you know what? Wasn't my greatest moment. But it was honest.

[Host 2]

Right. And it's just what was really happening in my life.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So you said this ex. Best friend. Obviously you're not friends with this person.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Absolutely not.

[Host 2]

I would not.

[Host 1]

Because my whole thing is that when you filed that report, how were you even aware to file the report?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I just went to my local police department.

[Host 1]

No, but how did you even know to do that? Who did?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I had an attorney at that point because I'd already left Chris Leno's best. So I had to hire an attorney to get out of my contract because they did not want me to be able. I don't know if it was. I don't want to blame anyone on this podcast, but I don't know who was responsible. Between the production company, network, family. They did not want me to be able to use my last name and anything else business related.

[Host 2]

That's my last name.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Not on the show. Because they were claiming right to. To that last name. And so I had to hire an attorney to fight for me. For me to be able to use my last name on coffee combos.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Host 2]

That is ridiculous.

[Host 1]

But like, how did you get a word that there was a poss. A possible tape? Like, how did that go?

[Host 2]

From tmz, right?

[Host 1]

No, no, because they got the report. So how did you even know to file the report is what I'm like.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

My dad actually told me.

[Host 1]

He did?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Your dad told you that? What? That there's a sex tape?

[Host 1]

How did he know that?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

My ex best friend had reached out to my brother to let him know and tried to sell it to him.

[Host 2]

Brother?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

What the. Yeah.

[Host 1]

And your brother never told you?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, because we were not in contact at that point.

[Host 1]

I pretty much would contact my sister. If someone's like, hey, I gotta. I'll be. Oh, hey sis. I don't even talk to a minute. But holy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You're like, your titties are your friend just right.

[Host 1]

I'm like, okay, I'm mind blown that the fact that there you are literally surrounded by betrayal. Like, I don't know, does it sound like that your whole life like, I'm like, wow, that's all it sounds like to me. Like everyone that was supposed to be and support you.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Like, what the fuck?

[Host 2]

Like, that's mind blowing.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think with TV there was always somewhat of issues because it was a blended family. And I think that there's always going to be issues when a family is blended and the work's not done.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

When you do that. Right, right. That's actually been a really hard problem with me with dating and being so intentional about people who also have children. Like, could I put myself in a situation to fully blend this in the way that it needs to be blended for this to be able to work? Because it's not the same as having biological children.

[Host 1]

Right, Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like you guys have biological children. You only have biological children and you are married.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Host 2]

It would be different.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so I Think that my parents got divorced when I was six years old, and both of my parents were already with someone else by the time their divorce was final.

[Host 1]

Oh, wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And there was already a child on the way.

[Host 1]

Holy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so while I don't think, I don't. I don't hold any resentment towards my parents for doing that because I try to put myself in their shoes, and I'm like, you know what? They were just truly trying to, like, move on and do the best that they could. Could with what they had to do it with at that time. Would I make the same decisions? No, because I haven't. But also, would I have made some of the same decisions that they made if I didn't have that trauma?

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

From that.

[Host 2]

Right, exactly. Like, I would. Literally, while you're talking, I was thinking in my head, I'm like, you went through a lot of trauma.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And you're only six years old when that first happened. So then you're witnessing this divide, and you're almost too young to even understand fully what the hell to comprehend.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, your brain's not developed enough to be able to comprehend what's actually going on. So it was almost like a family was split, and then other families were created within that split simultaneously.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And then it's. I always say kids are collateral damage in a divorce. Right. Because parents are going to move on.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, you get divorced, inevitably, you're eventually going to move on. Might not be immediate, but you're going to move on. And you've got the kids there that are stuck between those parents. Parents.

[Host 2]

Yeah. I need. That's hard.

[Host 1]

And what's. So was. Was. Was your mom involved at all with this show at all?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Not at all.

[Host 1]

Okay. She wasn't involved at all.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No.

[Host 1]

Wow. And how do you feel like, your relationship with her going through all this scandals and all that stuff? How did. How did you feel supported by her?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I did. I have a very different relationship with her because she did not raise me and she was not in my everyday life.

[Host 2]

That was my question.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

I know in the beginning you said. Said, like, how your stepmom adopted you. So I was curious, like, if your mom was involved in your life ever since you were little or. It stopped after they got a divorce.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So she. She was in my life pretty consistently until I was in fifth grade. And we're originally from South Carolina, so my dad relocated to Atlanta, and at that point, I hardly ever saw her. If it was. It was like on random weekend, so he had primary custody, and it was just like we were like this whole new family. Right.

[Host 2]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And that's very hard. I think that my brother probably turned to substances.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

When he got older because he could not deal with the trauma. Maybe that was his coping way not to excuse it.

[Host 1]

So how old was he when this happened? You're six and five. Okay. He was five. So he's also a little younger. But my thing is. Okay, so your mom let full custody happen with your dad. Like, there was no custody battle.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

There was.

[Host 1]

Oh, there was. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

There. There was a custody battle. I don't know if you guys are familiar with custody situations, but there was something called a guardian ad litem that was hired and ultimately they decided that my dad's home was the better home for us to be at.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I don't know the complexities of that situation. Again, I was only six, seven, A tiny little child. Yeah. So I don't really know what was going on. I only remember like this woman coming to both of my parents houses and watching my parents individually like interact with us.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And then we would go off with her and she would, you know, like, ask questions or like take us to get ice cream or whatever. And it was. It felt like a long period of time, but I don't really know if I understood the length of time at that point. So it could have been like a month, I don't know. But then ultimately it was just like decided that we were gonna live with my dad.

[Host 1]

And you never asked your mom after all this happened, like, hey, what really happened? Like, why did we not. Why did you not get custody? Why did you not, I mean, you know, fight more or. Or come see me more. Did I ever get like addressed between you and her?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. So when I finally was able to fully address it with her, because I never wanted to address it with her until I was ready.

[Host 1]

Right, Absolutely.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was not willing to have conversations.

[Host 2]

That's your right. That's your right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Frustrated and mad and hurt.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because I think every child wants to be with their mother.

[Host 2]

Well, when you were saying, when you were explaining all of that, like, I couldn't imagine just being a six year old child and having this mom for six years and then all of a sudden she's gone and I'm taken from her. And I don't have any of the answers to why. That's super traumatic in itself.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That's actually why I love Yalls story on Teen mom with Carly. Because I just feel like that's such a healthy decision. As hard as that decision is to make. If you cannot raise children in a healthy environment and you're not ready to do so. It is best for them to go somewhere where they can be fully healthy and whole.

[Host 1]

Yeah. I mean, especially because we were. I mean, we were obviously surrounded by, you know, just chaos. Yeah. Chaos and evictions and drugs and all that kind of stuff. But it sounds like you, growing up, your family was pretty. Pretty stable. Like, as far as financially, no one was alcoholics. There's no domestic violence or anything. So it just kind of sounds like. I mean, I'm just kind of confused on. On where your mom's role in. In all this was when all this is going on. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

She very much stepped away, I think, and accepted defeat.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And that was hard for me to come to the realization whenever I did, and I didn't until I was like, 20 years old.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't know if it was that I didn't want to know it or I just, like, wasn't ready to accept it or maybe not ready to address it. I could never imagine being in that situation now that I am a mother. But I also give her a little grace just knowing the dynamic of the situation with her and my dad. And I feel like she has done her time in the sense of dealing with the trauma that I have and my brother has. She's had to deal with that in very different ways. Oh, I thought, well, right.

[Host 1]

Because your brother still actively you. Is he still, like, having issues or.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Some legal issues, but not substance?

[Host 1]

Okay, so he's sober as far as, you know?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

As far as I know, he's sober. But there have. There have just been things like that she has missed out on so much in life, and I had to accept through therapy that because she missed out on those things, she can never get them back.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And relationship that I think that she longs for today is something that she forewent then. And those are just things that once it's gone, the time's gone. You know, it's like, I'm never going to be seven again.

[Host 2]

Right, right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I'm never going to be 13 and starting my period, you know.

[Host 1]

Right, right.

[Host 2]

Or going to my first high school dance with the date and going to pick out dresses with your mom and all the. Those things that you miss out on.

[Host 1]

And all those things that you actually, like, went through. Like, were you close with your stepmom at that point through all that stuff or.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was. And she was a very good stepmother, and she stepped in. In the ways that my dad allowed her. But I do hold A little resentment towards my dad for him not allowing her to be the mother to me that she could have been, because he definitely had parameters.

[Host 2]

Why is he setting boundaries around his children?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So she was never allowed to discipline us. So if we ever did anything, like, let's say we were out shopping or something, and she had all of the kids, if I did something, then it was a required call to him or for him to address it whenever I got home. She was never allowed to take that on, which made me automatic. And I don't think he did it. I think he felt like, okay, these are my children, and I want to be the one doing that. But I don't think that he realized during that time, because I think he was still grow. I mean, he was 21. Whenever I was born, I think he was still growing, just like I was a growing kid. Right. And so I think if he did it differently now, he would be like, I would have allowed her to do that, because then Lindsay would have felt like she was a part of the other kids. But when she's reprimanding her birth children.

[Host 1]

And then not me. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And then I have to go home and then deal with my dad, it just felt like a divide, and it creates.

[Host 1]

It actually maintains a disconnect at all times almost. It's like, you know, kids, obviously, no kid likes to be punished or disciplined, but on the other side of that, the discipline, you know, is coming from care. And so it's like, it would have been beneficial for you because you would have felt like, you know. I know. I don't know. No one likes being punished, obviously, but, like, you had known your. You care about me. That's why you want to discipline me and make sure you correct me or whatever. And the fact you had to just sit there like, well, yeah, wait for your dad or whatever. That's like. That.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That's also torture.

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotta wait for my inevitable, you know?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You know, it's like everybody says from the south, wait until dad gets home.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, there is no worse fear.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Other than the fear of God.

[Host 2]

Right, right. Than dad coming home.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

If my dad's name's Todd, I always say the fear of God and fear of toddler, like.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Okay, so how many between your, you know, your biological mom and your. And your dad? How many kids do they have together?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Just me and my brother.

[Host 1]

Okay. And then. So. Okay, so the other ones are. Okay, got it. All right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

The other three are with my dad and my stepmom, but I don't really Know, like, she's my adoptive mother.

[Host 1]

I know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Even though she is my stepmom, she. She did adopt me.

[Host 1]

Yeah. So. And you consider that's your mom because I don't want to get language.

[Host 2]

Yeah. For you to.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is a hard thing. I felt the need to do it. I didn't do that and make that decision to get adopted until I was an adult.

[Host 1]

Oh.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was 19 years old. Whenever I did that.

[Host 1]

Oh, really Elaborate on. Okay, so you didn't. You. You waited the whole time until night, and you asked her to adopt you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because I don't believe that my biological mom would have ever agreed to that outside of me being an adult to make that decision on my own.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And it felt at the time that I did it, it felt like I was for the first time in control of something in my life and made me feel like if I do this on paper, my birth certificate will be destroyed, so all of my stuff will look exactly like the other kids.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And we will all be just one.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But it never. Nothing ever really changed from that, which is why I think I now hold the mentality of I don't have to ever be married again. Because.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

What does the paper mean to me?

[Host 1]

Because. Because when you did the paper, it didn't really change.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It didn't change. Right.

[Host 1]

But so the paper you even wanting and having the desire to do that, you know, get that paperwork done, obviously shows that you yearn for this to all feeling. Yeah.

[Host 2]

One family and connection and. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Support.

[Host 1]

So, I mean, was your dad kind of aware that you felt any disconnect or. Or. Or, you know, like just a difference from the other kids? Did you ever express that to him?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No.

[Host 1]

So you literally walked around as a child with this inside the whole time.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And my dad would probably say today, Lindsay handled the divorce much differently. My brother's name's Kyle. Lindsay handled the divorce much differently than Kyle. You could tell all of the issues that Kyle was having because they were outwardly expressed, like, whether it be an anger or trouble in school or substance or like, whatever those things were, I just kind of sucked it up and was like, this is my life and I'm just supposed to accept it? And I'm. As long as I don't have feelings about it and I don't say anything about it, then it just, like, won't be real.

[Host 2]

That is so sad.

[Host 1]

Well, it's that self betrayal. And I think when you live so many years, you know, self betraying yourself, no matter. No wonder you end up getting older and like, almost just having this identity. Like, I don't even know it is an identity. Yeah, it's identity crisis. I don't know who I am because I spent so much time self portraying in order to maintain this, you know, facade of, I'm okay and everything's fine, don't worry about me. But it's like, that's heavy. That's heavy stuff to carry around as a kid.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is very heavy. And I don't think that I realized the heaviness until I became a mother myself.

[Host 1]

That's. And isn't it weird how you become a mom and it's like a parent.

[Host 2]

They hit certain ages and then it'll bring up traumas from your childhood that you were like, oh, my gosh, I thought I worked on that, or I didn't think that was an issue. And then they get to the age where something happened to you, and it's just. You're flooded with all these feelings.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So you've experienced that too?

[Host 2]

Yes, I have. 100%.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Actually, I feel like we experience it kind of. We don't know when the next bomb's gonna drop because they get to certain ages, and then you get, like, this feeling of, like, you get either flashbacks or you get a little bit of PTSD or a little bit of like, oh, my God, like, I gotta, like, do this and figure and save this. But it's like, no, it's not an issue. This is a you thing. Like, but it brings up a lot of stuff from when you were a kid, raising your own kids.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And then also it's hard to, like. I mean, there's a period of time when you have your own children that you kind of get a little mad at your parents for a minute because you're like, dang, now I know what this feels like. And you let this happen when I was that age. Like, how the hell did you do that? Because the love I have for this kid is, how did you even. How are you able to do that? And it kind of. Your situation reminds you a little bit of your dad being in Florida, and you were saying stuff like, you know, he knew you were at home with your mom dealing with all that stuff. And I wondered if your mom ever knew what was going on with, you know, with you at home, if she never, like, I think she did. She did, yeah. So that's kind of interesting that I.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Don'T think that it was necessarily aware of the complexities of the things that were going on. I think it was the defeat. And I think Once. It's an out of sight, out of mind situation. Some people can do that. Right.

[Host 2]

Where it's like, I would never be able to.

[Host 1]

I know. That's.

[Host 2]

I'm a mom.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

You know, and it's like, some people do, and I'll.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You know.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

It's mind blowing, isn't it? Because you're a parent. You're like, dude, mom, how did you do that? How did.

[Host 2]

How did you. How did you sleep at night?

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

How did you do all these things? I can't. I can't. I can't.

[Host 1]

Yeah, because we always talk about, like, there's certain things that, like her dad didn't move to Florida and started his whole family all over again, and she was left with her mom. And it was like, how do you even, like, you know, I even asked her when we were getting to know each other. I was like, did your dad ever, like, send you Christmas gifts? And she's like, no. And I'm like, that's so weird that you can just like, just close off and then jump over here and then forget that it ever happened. But it's like, give a whole. A whole damn child somewhere. Yeah. Like, it's.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't know how. I don't. I could ever. And it's hard to give grace in those situations when you can't understand it, right?

[Host 2]

Yeah, it's like, it's really hard, you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Know, I can't understand ever doing that. So I don't know how to give forgiveness in a situation that I can't understand.

[Host 1]

It's hard to sympathize if I can't wrap my head around it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is. And it's. It's hard to have empathy in those situations because you know that it's just something that you never could imagine yourself doing.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so that's definitely something that I struggled with as a child knowing that I. I couldn't imagine. And I just know as a mother in a co parenting situation where I'm sharing 50.

[Host 1]

50 custody.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Right. I know that my child sometimes longs for me, and it literally breaks my heart, but there's nothing, nothing that I can do about it. And I know that I'm just gonna give him as much love as I possibly can when I get him next.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I could not imagine, like, my mom moving across the country and only seeing us on, like, holidays.

[Host 2]

Oh, I would literally go insane.

[Host 1]

I know. What, do you just go crazy?

[Host 2]

Like, I would go insane.

[Host 1]

It's one of those things too, where it's like, did you Even really? Did you have that yearning for your mom?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think that I probably subconsciously did, but I don't think that I consciously did. I think that I was just doing every day. I. I think it's.

[Host 2]

I think you were trying to survive.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. I think, kid.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think that's probably what it was. And I don't want to say that my, My dad did anything intentionally. I think he also was trying to survive in that situation. And I think he had good intentions. I think he's like, okay, this is a good woman. And.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Host 1]

She.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

She's pregnant and now we have kids and we're gonna be like this one happy family. And it's like these rose colored glasses.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And because I saw him doing that, I never wanted to bring issue to anything. It's just like, okay, this is what we're doing.

[Host 1]

And which again, sounds like self betrayal. You're kind of like, okay, I don't want to ruffle anything. This sounds great. All right, dad, you got it. We'll continue to do all this. Like, that's. But did your. Did your dad ever. Do you feel your dad ever try to bridge the gap?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I do.

[Host 1]

Okay, so he tried to get you, I mean, you and your mom to.

[Host 2]

You know, be involved with each other. Right. When you talk about, like, you know, your dad just doing. Doing the best he can with what he knows. It's almost like that saying where they say, like, maybe give your parents grace because they were just doing it for the first time too.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Not knowing what was going on and that. When I saw that once it hit me, I was like, wow.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Because you really think about it like that. Like me being the first time parents that we are. I've never done this in another life or that I remember ever doing. It's all new to me too.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I saw something about that yesterday and it was talking about how you only know your parents as parents. Right. Your whole life they have been your parents, but they had a life before you. And their whole life they were not parents.

[Host 2]

Right, right, right.

[Host 1]

They were a wild little kid one time they had. Right.

[Host 2]

So weird to think about. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so I just feel like through therapy I've been able to under. Not that I can understand. I think understands the wrong word. I can give grace to that situation because my parents were just kids raising kids.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And not that it excuses certain things and not that it did not give me childhood traumas, but it's okay.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because it doesn't affect me every day like it wants.

[Host 1]

Did so you're saying it did once affect you? I mean, so you. When did you start going to therapy?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I didn't start going to therapy until after the whole sex tape scandal.

[Host 1]

Wow. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I laid in bed for Kristen. I was like, not well for. Was it like six months? Yeah. Yeah, it was like six to eight months that I would literally wake up, take my child to school, get him off, act like happy mom, come back home. If I had to podcast, I would podcast, I would take a bath, and I would go to bed.

[Host 1]

Wow. Because you were actually generally tired.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yes, I was depressed, so I was.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I didn't even know what depression was.

[Host 1]

I felt like, that sounds me. Because it was like. And they. Kate explained it in a way that I felt like I didn't really understand. Depression in her looks different than it does in me. And so when I was like, how could you be so tired and sleep all the time? And it's like one of those things where it's like, I had to get educated on, like, what depression actually looks like. And it's like, I would rather sleep.

[Host 2]

My life away than feel any of these feelings.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Same feeling.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That's how I felt when I tell you that all of this stuff went down in July, August, and I woke up sometime. I felt like I woke up from July, August, and October.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And my now ex husband was like, you have to get help.

[Host 1]

Oh. So he actually recognized it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He.

[Host 1]

He was watching this and witnessing it.

[Host 2]

Sometimes we need that, though, for, you know, I mean, I needed that. I needed that from you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And I didn't know how to. You don't know how to, you know how to bring it up as a spouse.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't want it to hurt my feelings.

[Host 2]

Exactly what it is.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And I don't. I also don't want to, like, I just. It's a touchy, sensitive thing. And it's like you're also a mom, and I don't know. And you're a new mom, so that's exhausting. And I don't know, you know, if it's just that. And like, so you don't. You don't even know how to approach it because you don't want to hurt their feelings. But do you feel like when he brought it up to you, did you kind of, like, deny it? Did you like. What are you talking about?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No. Okay, so I was self aware.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That it was going on. I don't think I was self aware of how much I was staying in my room and how much I was Sleeping. But I was self aware of what I was feeling, which was defeat alone. Like I would feel if I was around people, I would still feel alone. Like I could be in a crowded room and feel like I was by myself.

[Host 2]

Did you have any anxiety during that time?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, I've always had anxiety.

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I imagine the life that you had, you've had anxiety. Because I think even being a little kid and Pete and self portraying and in my opinion, looks like anxiety for kids. Like, yeah, because the kids don't even know that they're having anxiety. Right. But they're just kind of trying to like, survive. And I almost feel like with your story so far, it just sounds like you were almost forced on both sides to just kind of always be robotic and not like engage in what you're really feeling. It was more or less emotionally monitoring, making sure, Making sure we're good, we're good. Even a lot. When you talk about getting up and taking your kid to school and kind of putting on this, I'm a happy mom, everything's great, and then you go back to your cave and you like, you know what I mean? Be the real. Yeah. Like, that's exhausting. And I almost.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And then I didn't want, like, people on the podcast to know I was depressed. And I had not even identified that it was depression. Like, I didn't know what it was. And so, Kristen, it hasn't been too long since I even identified that it was actually depression, I would say. Yeah.

[Host 1]

Really? So this is actually new, like, revelation for you? Yeah, it's. That's huge.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like a very new revelation. And I can feel it and myself sometimes, like, creep back in and I'm like, okay, whoa. Like, I need to. I need to go to a therapy session or I need to, like, figure out what it. Get to the bottom of what's exactly going on. Because I never want to be. Be back in that place that I once was. And I think that helps.

[Host 2]

Like, the more that we learn and we learn about ourselves and therapy and the things you do, you end up becoming more and more self aware and you can just like, even for me now, I can notice little things that I'm like, oh, yeah, I need to call my therapist and my psychiatrist and we need to have a meeting and I need to go back to therapy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yes.

[Host 2]

Like, you can just tell. And it's so much better to be able to be self aware than end up in that spiral in just this circle and not feeling like you can't get out of it.

[Host 1]

Well, It's a way of just being. Making sure you're being proactive about things because, like, that sounds a lot like you. And you're like. I'm like, what are you doing? You're like, I'm having a therapy session. I'm like, oh, well, why? Well, I feel a little.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yep.

[Host 1]

Feel a little weird off today. So I feel something creeping in. And it's like, it sounds like, like, obviously when you're more self aware, you can be more proactive. And hopefully it kind of minimizes that time. So you feel it creeping in. It doesn't fully take hold, but it, you know, you just jump on it right when you feel it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But I so much want to advocate for people who see somebody that is going through that to not be afraid to, like, help them, because I can never thank my ex husband enough for getting me help and finding my therapist, because I was not able to do that for myself.

[Host 2]

It is so important. So important. I mean, God, you're so right. Because same thing. Like, I had postpartum depression. I believe I had it with placing Carly, and then I went through postpartum depression with Nova, but I didn't even know I had it until I was out of it. And I was able to, like, look back and be like, holy, I was depressed. And I did not even realize.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I didn't realize until I was well out of, like, the patterns of the things that I was doing. Like, I would think crazy, like, oh, yeah, driving down the road, like, this is no joke. And I would look at the shoulder of the road and see how close I could get to, like, that white line if I was on a two, like, car that way.

[Host 2]

Intrusive thoughts.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Like, I could just eat myself off the freeway, you know, Or I could hit that tree if I was going 55 or, you know, like, weird like that. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

And it literally. It took him one day, he came up in my room and he's like, you're not okay. What's going on? You know? And then I just broke down, like, I don't know. I'm feeling all these things. And he was the one who took me to see my first psychiatrist ever. And really, I needed him for that.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

The first time I ever took my son to the movie theater, I walked to see from the top of the theater to the bottom where the exit doors were, and timed myself on my phone to see how fast I could get out of there if someone shot the place up.

[Host 2]

I think I have interest like that all the time.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Crazy anxiety shit that is just. I mean, I guess it is sad that our world has come to some of these things. Right. And it's probably, like, not really that realistic or the chances of something like that happening. It's. It's very intrusive. Yeah. But like, why was I thinking these things? Like, what the hell was going on?

[Host 2]

I think it stems from anxiety disorders, the intrusive thoughts, too. But I think you're spot on that it needs to be advocated for more of people. If you notice something, say something. You're not going to hurt our feelings. If anything, you might be saving us.

[Host 1]

Yeah, but it is really hard when you're the person watching. It's like you don't. You don't want to be like, hurt their feelings.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Or be like, something's wrong with you. It's like, it doesn't have to be like that, Tyler.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I would literally get my child up and put on like this whole show, like, fix a breakfast, do all this stuff, like mom of the year, drive him to school, come back. If I had to record, I would record. If I did not, I would take a bath, put on a new pair of pajamas and get in my bed and sleep until it was time to get him out of.

[Host 1]

Wow. That is insane.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And so it took your. Took your ex husband to be like, hey, something's off.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. And I just, I'm like, maybe. Was that God? Because this was after we had gotten back together. I was like, was that God saving my life? Because what if I went through this and I was alone?

[Host 1]

Right, right.

[Host 2]

Or with your parents.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

In the reality show, they would have. What if they could have just kept playing.

[Host 1]

I firmly believe in divine timing. Yeah, you can always. Timing is always on our side, even when we feel the complete opposite. And so maybe that was the reason why you guys are kind of rekindled, got together for that little moment and then for that to come to fruition. Because honestly, like, you know, now mental health is. It's a work in progress. Constantly. You got to constantly be checking in on yourself, being self aware. I mean, it's. It's a job in itself.

[Host 2]

So I always say, unfortunately, it never ends.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, but you get new.

[Host 2]

Yes, but you are old. Yes. You always, you always learn great things, though, about yourself, which is awesome.

[Host 1]

But we're huge advocates for therapy. I mean, I don't care if you're the happiest person on the planet. There's always something to gain from it, so.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And who was it, who was it that was talking about therapy that someone was in this room last night and they were talking about therapy and in marriages that you should start therapy before it gets bad. It was, it was Macy, she was talking about, do it before it gets bad. Because once it gets bad, it's too late.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Right.

[Host 2]

And it's so hard to go back.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, it's so, so hard. And I wish that I would have done that in my marriage before it got too late. But unfortunately I wasn't even in personal therapy for myself. And I'm a big advocate for being impersonal therapy for yourself. Because when you are the best you, you can be the best you for someone else.

[Host 1]

Yeah, we actually did both. We did separate and then we did together when we went through all of our. And I wouldn't have had it any.

[Host 2]

Other way, but we made it a priority. Like we need to be do individual therapy. And then once week we would come together and do couples therapy. And it helped a lot.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But some people like this old school mentality of people thinking that depression is not a real thing. It's like I. Dude, it's disgusting. Yeah.

[Host 2]

When they like, oh, just get over it. You're fine. No, sorry.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Okay, well, if it was that easy and I could just get over it, then do you think I wouldn't be over it?

[Host 2]

Right? I would definitely do that. Yeah.

[Host 1]

And do you think people would be.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You think I would be in this cave?

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Seriously.

[Host 1]

And people would not be committing suicide if that was the case.

[Host 2]

So there's, there's a huge stigma still around mental health. I think a lot of people are breaking that down little by little. And I think it takes people talking about it.

[Host 1]

Well, that's why I want to applaud both you women because that's what you're doing right now. You guys are just openly talking about having struggles with, with, with mental health on top of being moms and wives. Like that's huge. Like in, in 10 years ago, I feel like this, no one would accept this. They'd be criticizing the hell out of it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No one would say you're weak or.

[Host 1]

You know what I mean? But now it's, it's, it's getting a spotlight that I think it, it's deserved for a long time. So I'm glad.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Look at how much growth has come and us just talking about it. Because I think about like my grandparents generation, no one talked about therapy like that was not a thing. It was like, you just be better.

[Host 1]

Well, they're like, if you go to therapy, you're already, you're too up yeah. Yeah. It's like.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. Or you're such a stigma lost cause.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Or grandma just hides it forever and ever and then one day just explodes, you know?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So look at us just being out here. Mental health advocates.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Thank y' all for having me.

[Host 2]

Thanks for coming on. I've learned a lot of things about you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Do you all have Instagram? Like.

[Host 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I mean, obviously, like your personal Instagrams.

[Host 1]

I know that, but, like, break it down. Yeah, Instagram, Tik tok, all that good stuff.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah, perfect. Well, thanks for having me.

[Host 1]

Oh, thanks. I appreciate it. This September, CBS hits are streaming free on Pluto tv. I'm coming in hot for this month only stream full episodes episodes of Matlock. I'm a lawyer.

[Host 2]

Like the old TV show Fire Country.

[Host 1]

Elsbeth.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I do love a mystery.

[Host 1]

NCIS origins, Watson and ghosts. What the hell? This is the most amazing sight I've never seen. All for free. The CBS shows you love this month only on Pluto tv. Stream now. Pain never.