Todd Chrisley says an $800 restaurant tip led him into an arrangement he now describes as escorting. “I was an escort when I was 18 in Los Angeles,” he recalled during a new podcast interview.
The 57-year-old shared the story on the October 29th episode of Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde, with his wife, Julie Chrisley, beside him. The couple, who married in 1996, laughed about parts of his life before reality television.
Chrisley said he had left South Carolina for California at 17 and found work waiting tables at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey. One evening, he served a group of six or seven women.
One of those customers became a regular presence in his life. Chrisley said she was 38 and helped pay for housing and other luxuries, while he initially believed they were in a romantic relationship.
A Limousine Driver Approached Chrisley After His Shift
After finishing work, Chrisley encountered a chauffeur who told him that one of the women he had served wanted to speak with him. He approached the limousine, where the customer lowered her window and complimented his service.
She offered him a ride home, according to his account in Us Weekly. Instead, he said, the encounter became sexual while they were in the vehicle.
Chrisley recalled feeling overwhelmed by the experience. Having recently come from a small town, he was impressed by the expensive cars and unfamiliar comforts surrounding the woman.
An Oscars Appearance Revealed the Woman’s Marriage
Chrisley said he discovered the woman’s husband while watching the Academy Awards on television. When he saw her on the red carpet with another man, his first thought was that she was cheating on him.
When he confronted her, she explained that the man was her husband. According to Entertainment Weekly, she told Chrisley that she was satisfied with their arrangement and viewed it as a sexual connection.
He remembered feeling ashamed and foolish because he had developed romantic feelings. They continued seeing each other for approximately another month before he ended the relationship.
Chrisley said he subsequently became involved with another woman who was divorcing an NFL player. He did not identify either woman in the account.
His Father Questioned His New Lifestyle
His improved circumstances had attracted his father’s attention. Chrisley recalled being asked where his new possessions were coming from and responding that he was working, without explaining the relationship.
Later, during a trip back to South Carolina, he said he got a woman pregnant and eventually married her. He recalled his mother criticizing him for having sex before marriage, unaware of the experiences he had described in California.
TMZ noted that Chrisley had previously mentioned escorting on a podcast with his children over the summer. He said the story will also appear in his forthcoming book, which he is still writing.