Savannah Chrisley opened up about her suicide attempt as a teenager before she and her family were thrust into the spotlight with the USA Network series Chrisley Knows Best. In a new episode of her podcast Unlocked, Chrisley told mental health advocate Patrick Custer it was a “cry for help.” She credited her parents Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley with stepping up and helping her through the crisis.
The 25-year-old former reality star said she attempted to take her own life when she was 15 or 16 years old. “I didn’t really have a life-or-death experience, but I did try committing suicide so that potentially was maybe my life-or-death experience,” Chrisley told Custer. “But for me, it was a cry for help.”
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More than a decade later, Chrisley does not remember much about it. “It’s so crazy because when you go through so much trauma, I feel like your mind just blocks it out,” she said, notes Page Six. “I also feel like, too, there were maybe some side effects to what I had done to where it affected my memory, but it all really was a blur.”
She does remember waking up at the hospital, with her parents by her bed. There were “discussions being had,” she recalled, adding that he lied to her doctors because she did not want to stay at the hospital longer. It was difficult for her to go straight from that ordeal to starring on television. She was “masking” her “hiccup” and kept reminding herself she was “fine” while cameras rolled.
Todd and Julie, who are both in prison on bank fraud and tax evasion charges, “stepped up” after she was hospitalized, Chrisley said. Her father spent “countless hours” with her every day and shared his own trauma. “Trying to let me know, like, ‘Hey, I’m not this perfect person you’ve always thought I am. I’ve gone through stuff in my life, too. I’ve had trauma. I want you to feel comfortable,’” Chrisley recalled.
Chrisley first told Unlocked listeners about her suicide attempt in a November 2022 episode. She credited Joel Osteen with “kinda saving” her because he inspired Todd to show her a Romans 8:28 devotional the day after her attempt. In an April episode with Dr. Daniel Amen, Chrisley expressed “frustration” because her memories were “foggy.” Chrisley said she entered “game-chang[ing]” intensive therapy and her parents “hit it so well” that “no one knew.”
Chrisley also spoke with fans about mental health in February 2022 after her ex Nic Kerdiles attempted suicide. She and Todd sat alongside Kerdiles while he discussed the impact COVID had on his mental health. He said he had a gun in his hand and was ready until his friend Chad arrived. He credited “people like Savannah and Todd and Chad who came to support me and love me” with saving his life.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.
