- 3 years ago
Savannah Chrisley's Message on Broken Prison System
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00:00 Savannah Chrisley, thank you so much for gracing E! Online with your presence. You look and smell amazing.
00:05 Thank you!
00:07 26 and looking bomb girl. Hey, I try. I try.
00:11 Well, it's funny because I know looking at the trailer of your new show, Special Forces World's Toughest Test,
00:16 you kind of look, uh, it's 180. It is! We all have a glow up, okay?
00:21 Definitely a glow up. What was your reason for jumping on a show like this?
00:24 Well, okay, I'm not gonna be one of those. It's like, oh, it's cause I wanted to find myself. No.
00:29 Like, money was great, and
00:31 I also, like, on the softer side of things,
00:36 I do have, like, I'm in a phase of life to where I'm not saying no to anything, and I have two kids at home that
00:41 are watching everything that I do, and I want to show them that, like, you show up even when it's hard.
00:47 You show up when everyone's wanting to cancel you. You just keep showing up.
00:52 I showed up and I was like, I thought the hardest part was gonna be the physical aspect of it.
00:57 But then when I showed up, the mental aspect kicked in, and I was like, I'm not ready for this.
01:03 Like, I don't know how these men and women who fight for our country leave for months on end,
01:09 and leave everything behind and may not ever come home.
01:12 And it all starts kicking in, and I started thinking about how much I missed Chloe and Grayson,
01:17 and I was like, I have to get home. I was like, I miss those two kids more.
01:21 Like, I love them more than I've ever even thought about loving myself, and that was the hardest part for me.
01:27 What type of internal dialogue were you hearing from people who motivate you?
01:30 You know, I think, all I could think about was my mom and dad the whole time,
01:34 because I did this show because I knew it would be something they could watch.
01:38 And so I may not get to see them every day, I may, you know, obviously the relationship is different,
01:44 but they can watch TV and we can connect through that.
01:48 So that was the biggest reason I wanted to do it.
01:51 Being in that situation, can you walk me through one of the most difficult challenges that you had to endure?
01:57 Honestly, the food was terrible.
02:00 The food, yeah. The food was terrible.
02:03 So, like, just not getting what you needed to keep moving forward was definitely, like, a mental game.
02:09 Also physical, because you're like, my body needs more than what I'm getting.
02:13 But also, I like to control a lot of things, so there's one task to where you're, like, completely out of control.
02:21 And I was like, I don't know if I can do this.
02:25 What a teaser. I want to go back to those mental, those voices that were coming through and lifting you up
02:30 while you were going through it, from what the trailers pushed.
02:35 I want to know, how are you, you know, with mom and dad? How are things going?
02:39 You were vocal about it a couple weeks ago when we saw you at the airport.
02:42 Yeah, I think, you know, it's been tough.
02:46 I mean, my relationship with my parents, it's like, we talk every single day.
02:51 Something bad would happen, like, alright, call mom and dad.
02:54 Something good would happen, call mom and dad.
02:56 Meet dad for lunch at least four times a week.
02:59 Like, it was, that was our routine.
03:01 So, it's been really hard not having that, especially when big life moments happen.
03:06 It's not like I can pick up the phone and call them.
03:08 And so, that's hard. And also, being in a place in life to where it's like, I'm 26 years old.
03:13 I have, like, going out and getting married or having kids or whatever.
03:16 And I'm like, I don't know if I can do that without them being here.
03:20 And I think that's my biggest struggle is having that, like, warfare within myself.
03:25 Like, alright, you have to live your life.
03:27 But, you don't want them not being there.
03:30 That is a great point.
03:33 But I'm imagining, just what you exhume.
03:36 It seems as though, though things may be difficult, it seems as though you take the optimism route.
03:42 Yeah, you have to.
03:43 I think I look at life and I realize how short life is.
03:47 If this experience has taught me anything, it's like, life is so short.
03:50 You never know when your last moment is.
03:52 Live it to the absolute fullest.
03:54 And people are going to try to get you down.
03:57 People are going to try to cancel you.
03:58 But you have to find the positive in it and just keep pushing forward.
04:03 Because we all pave our own way.
04:05 It's just a matter of, like, how hard we're willing to push to pave that way.
04:08 Can you give us an update of how they're actually doing?
04:10 Yeah, you know, it's tough.
04:12 Our system is so unbelievably broken.
04:14 And it's hard because I say I'm like the poster child for being toned up to our system.
04:19 Obviously, like, the African American community has dealt with it forever.
04:23 I haven't had to deal with it.
04:25 So, I've just been like, okay, I didn't know.
04:27 But now that I'm in it and I'm watching it, I'm like, this is so broken.
04:31 And there needs to be reform.
04:33 People should not be treated this way.
04:35 People shouldn't be in 115 degree weather without air conditioning.
04:38 Like, they should have clean drinking water, which they don't have.
04:42 They should be consuming food that's not saying not for human consumption.
04:47 They should--our system is so broken and everyone just kind of turns a blind eye to it.
04:53 Because they're like, let's throw them in and throw away the key.
04:55 Are you saying in general or are you saying that these are the conditions that your parents are actually telling you that they're going through?
04:59 Yes, that's the conditions they're going through.
05:02 And that is the norm within our system, unfortunately.
05:05 Oh, my God.
05:06 Yeah.
05:07 But even though what we're talking about is a dark spot probably, you know, right now I imagine.
05:12 Yeah, for sure, it's a dark spot.
05:14 But there was, I would say, good news, decent news that came out a couple of days ago about a reduction in sentencing for both of them.
05:22 For sure.
05:23 So, that was the First Step Act, which it was implemented under the Trump administration, shockingly enough.
05:30 And it gave incarcerated individuals a second chance to re-enter back into society.
05:36 So, you can take classes, you can better yourself, and that in turn takes off time of your sentence.
05:41 So, it took off about two years of dads and about 18 months of moms, which is great and we're so thankful for that.
05:47 But there's still so much leeway that needs to be made.
05:50 And we have our appeal file, which we're waiting on final answers from that.
05:55 But it's just, it's a waiting game and you keep fighting.
05:58 But as dark as the situation is, I have people emailing me every single day.
06:03 Email, direct message, somehow getting a hold of my phone number.
06:07 Just saying like, "Hey, this is my story. This is how our system has impacted me. Can you please help me?"
06:12 And so, I look at dad and I'm like, "That's the light."
06:15 All of this darkness, but that's the light because I'm in a place to speak for millions of people who are impacted.
06:22 If you could speak for mom and dad and give us a "How I'm doing" to their fans and their people who watched y'all on TV forever.
06:31 I know.
06:32 Is there anything, I know you're not the publicist for them, but you're their daughter.
06:35 Is there anything that you can let them know, let fans know that speaks towards how they're doing at this current moment?
06:41 You know, I think they're struggling. They are.
06:44 Mentally, it's a hard place to be at. You do the same things over and over and over again every single day.
06:50 And missing their kids. I mean, I couldn't imagine how they feel.
06:55 Missing us is hard, but also missing each other.
06:58 And that's another way that the system is broken is they've been together almost 30 years.
07:03 Godly.
07:04 And they were not these types of, like, they weren't the couple that was like, "Hey, let's go on trips with girls or guys."
07:11 No, they were together 24/7.
07:13 And they've gone now eight months without speaking.
07:16 And that's the tough part.
07:19 It's like, not only does the system break you as a person, but it breaks your marriage, it breaks your family.
07:25 It's a system that's built to break everything surrounding it.
07:30 But one thing I know about the Chrisleys is that they don't break.
07:32 No, we don't.
07:33 That's one thing. Again, as a fan and also as a journalist, I know that y'all don't break.
07:37 As a matter of fact, I imagine the memoirs, the books, and I know that they're corresponding in there as well.
07:41 Yes, so they're emailing.
07:44 They don't do letters just because their mail has been intercepted and there are people who work at the prison who have committed federal crimes by intercepting their mail and all of these different things.
07:58 So they don't mail each other, but they do have some emails.
08:02 They send correspondence home.
08:03 We have stuff for during visitation.
08:05 I am definitely encouraging books that I'm like, "Hey, I will buy the rights to. Let's do this."
08:11 Because there's so much to be told.
08:15 And I think the biggest lesson is don't be tone deaf like we were because we didn't care.
08:21 It didn't impact us.
08:22 And so it's a bigger message for our country.
08:26 Just because it doesn't impact you doesn't mean it's not impacting the masses.
08:30 And that's the biggest thing.
08:32 At this point, I want to ask you your career.
08:34 Is there a career change I'm smelling and that I'm hearing?
08:37 Are we taking the baby bars?
08:39 Oh, dear gosh.
08:40 Attorney Chrisley in the making or what?
08:43 I grew up on reality television.
08:46 I was never like, "All right, I did two years of college. I never graduated college. I wish I would have."
08:52 But I feel like you learn a lot through life experience and that's what I've done.
08:58 And right now, I'm focused on obviously the kids and my real estate business and all these different things.
09:04 But I'm in the midst of creating an organization.
09:07 And it basically just says, "Let's walk a mile in their shoes."
09:11 Let's walk a mile in these men and women's shoes and then see how you feel.
09:15 And that's where we're going with it.
09:18 And I've definitely spoken to a lot of really high-profile lawyers, whether it be people who represented OJ,
09:26 people who represent Elon Musk, people like the top-of-the-line lawyers.
09:30 And I'm like, "What can we do about this?
09:32 How can we make a difference and bring justice to all these men and women that are within the Bureau of Prisons
09:38 that are being mistreated and being left to die?"
09:42 Because that's what's happening.
09:43 If you look at the statistics of the amount of people that die within the system, it's heartbreaking.
09:48 And I look at it and I'm like, "What if that was my mom or dad?"
09:51 Like, "What if my dad's not young by any means?"
09:54 And when you look at his sentence that he was given, God only knows what can happen.
09:58 And I look at it and I'm like, "I'm not going to let him be one of those."
10:02 And so I've partnered with a lot of people to hopefully make a difference.
10:06 Before I let you go, I want to ask a couple more quick questions just to make a pivot real quick.
10:10 Of course, we miss seeing the Chrisleys on television.
10:13 I don't know if these conversations are even appropriate when you're having your phone calls with mom and dad,
10:16 but have you ever thought about, you know, with you and the siblings, have you ever thought about going one day,
10:21 y'all kind of reuniting back on reality television?
10:25 Yeah, so we're actually in the midst of doing that, which is so fun.
10:29 We partnered with Scout Productions, who did Queer Eye and all these fun shows.
10:34 And so we are working with them on a new show, and it's really going to be just reality.
10:40 The nitty-gritty, the tough moments, the tears, the laughter, all of it.
10:45 And also, too, me as, like, I'm a single-income household.
10:49 Like, I'm a bonus parent is what I like to call it.
10:52 And so I have to show up for these kids and provide for them in the best way possible.
10:57 And it's going to kind of follow that whole journey.
11:01 You seem to be just thriving after your--what was it, a couple of years ago, I know you ended your engagement.
11:07 I did.
11:08 So now look at you, just grown and glowed up.
11:11 Hypothetically speaking.
11:12 If you were interested in putting out there your dream guy, or maybe--I don't even know if you're, like, in the market right now, or, like, looking.
11:19 Okay, so we have this running joke on my podcast.
11:23 I have only spoken about him, like, 900,000 times.
11:27 But, you know, Kevin Costner's going through a divorce right now, okay?
11:30 Okay.
11:31 And Kevin Costner's, like, my, like, you know, hall pass guy.
11:35 Ma'am, how old is Kevin Costner?
11:37 Hey, it does not matter. Age is just a number.
11:39 Kevin looks great for his age, okay?
11:42 I'm pretty sure that Kevin is, like, twice your age.
11:47 It's fine, it's fine.
11:49 Well, put it out there, you'll be a great bonus mom, a bonus, bonus mom, and you and Kevin can live happily ever after.
11:57 You are too much.
11:58 Right, right.
11:59 But it sounds like you're looking for a nice young man.
12:02 You know what? Right now, I just, like, love good people.
12:05 Okay.
12:06 That's where I'm at in life, is, like, I love good people.
12:08 I love relationship with people.
12:10 Okay, and now when I look for someone, it's like I need you to be a positive role model for the kids that are in my life.
12:17 So, like, if I wouldn't be comfortable in calling you my kid's dad, then, like, you can't be around them.
12:23 I love that.
12:24 That's a solid answer.
12:25 Are you talking to the kids about everything that's going on, or do you shelter them?
12:28 Oh, no.
12:29 We talk about everything.
12:30 It's like we joke, and we're like, all right, we grow up together.
12:32 Yeah.
12:33 You know, because that really is what it is.
12:35 I mean, 26 being thrown to kids, you're like, okay, was not expecting this.
12:39 But we laugh, we cry, we, like, do all the fun things together, and I'm like, all right, we're going to remember this.
12:46 You're doing anything different this holiday season now that this is the holiday that, you know, mom and dad won't be with you?
12:51 Yeah, so this is the first holidays they won't be here, so we haven't quite figured out what we're going to do.
12:56 I'm like, it's -- in a way, it's like, all right, let me mimic everything my mom would do.
13:02 But also, no one can do what my mom can do, and I also don't want the kids to think like, oh, well, mom would have done this or that.
13:11 So it's like maybe we start new traditions.
13:13 Maybe we go on a trip.
13:15 Maybe we -- I kind of leave it up to them, and I'm like, you tell me what you want to do.
13:19 You go, Savannah.
13:20 Proud of you.
13:21 Thank you again for using your voice.
13:22 That means the world.
13:23 Thank you.
13:24 And I'm just proud of what you've become.
13:25 Thank you.
13:26 You're awesome.
13:27 15 to 26.
13:28 I'm excited to see you on the show, you being thrown into the freezing cold terrain, all that jazz.
13:33 Special Forces, world's toughest test, where can they catch it?
13:37 On Fox, September 25th.
13:39 It's going to be a blast, and you're going to see some things out of me you didn't expect.
13:44 Thank you, Savannah.
13:45 Thank you.
13:46 [music playing]
13:49 (upbeat music)
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