Donald Trump has been called a “reality television president” so many times by his detractors (or the detractors of reality television), it no longer feels clever. Or even much of an insult. Still he appears to be doubling down on that reputation after pardoning Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of the long-running and shockingly popular USA Network reality show “Chrisley Knows Best.” (USA Network is owned by NBCUniversal, MSNBC’s parent company.)
The couple’s lawyer, Alex Little, in material he prepared for the Justice Department asking for a pardon, said their conviction “exemplifies the weaponization of justice against conservatives and public figures, eroding basic constitutional protections.”
While Little would disagree, I don’t think we’re looking at a witch hunt here. Indeed, as any scholar of the reality television arts and sciences will tell you, the Chrisleys are actually late to a well-established trend.
It only ceased production because the principal characters became indisposed, and by “indisposed” I mean that they were sent to prison.
“Chrisley Knows Best” centered around Todd Chrisley, a “flamboyant” Southern real-estate mogul who was always hounding his children and freaking out when things didn’t go his way. The producers were clearly working to create a sitcomlike vibe, but less in the mold of “Friends” and more like the old three-camera series starring men such as Jim Belushi or Kevin James as underappreciated, breadwinning heroes with inexplicably hot wives.
The show ran from 2014 to 2023 and also included a separate spinoff on E! (E! is also owned by NBCUniversal.) It only ceased production because the principal characters became indisposed, and by “indisposed” I mean that they were sent to prison.
The Chrisleys, unlike their sitcom counterparts, were conspicuously wealthy rather than working class. The proud owner of a very American McMansion, they made most of their money buying, selling and flipping similar homes in suburban environments in Southern states. The lavish lifestyle, however, was not entirely legitimate. In 2022, Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Julie to seven for their involvement in a tax and mortgage fraud scheme that predates the premiere of their show in 2014. The show itself made them plenty of money, and the couple was also convicted of trying to hide that income from the IRS and skipping out on nearly $500,000 in back taxes. (Julie’s conviction was vacated on appeal in 2024 after a judge decided prosecutors did not tie her specifically to the very first year of the bank-fraud scheme.)
Prosecutors proved the couple had bilked Atlanta-area banks out of $36 million by applying for mortgages with fake documents, not repaying loans, and taking out false loans just to repay the old false loans. They used that money on a classic reality TV smorgasbord — designer clothes, exotic cars and flashy trips. But the self-made element of their wealth was always an important part of their brand.
The other part of Todd’s brand is flamboyance. His love of fashion and Botox has long made him the subject of rumors about his sexual orientation — rumors that he always shut down. His affect is sort of like if Snagglepuss and Charles Nelson Riley had a gay child through surrogacy.
It was always a weird conceit that seemed to contrast with the show’s more traditional “family values” themes and fan base. Indeed, leveraging that conservative base and deploying the Trumpian language of victimhood that may have helped secure the Chrisleys their pardon. It’s no coincidence that Savannah Chrisley, the couple’s daughter who is featured prominently in the show, argued in prime time last summer at the Republican National Convention that her family was targeted by “rogue prosecutors.”
In reality TV fashion, the truth is less exciting. Reality television attracts extreme personalities because that is what pops on camera and connects with fans. Extreme personalities do extreme things — and that sometimes means breaking the law.








