Todd and Julie Chrisley own their past, stripes and all.
The reality TV stars, who were recently eliminated from Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” spoke in an exclusive joint interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reality” about their eyebrow-raising decision to perform undercover as The Croissants, donning black striped outfits reminiscent of prison uniforms while belting out Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”
The performance sparked an immediate buzz, given the couple’s highly public history, including serving time in prison on fraud charges before ultimately being pardoned by President Trump. But the Chrisleys insist the choice was intentional, empowering and deeply personal.
“It was our story,” says Julie, 52. “Everyone has a story, and your story doesn’t have all the good parts. I don’t care who you are. So I think it’s time for us to own it and move on from there and say, ‘OK, this is part of our history, this is part of our story. We lived it, we survived it, and now we’re ready to move forward.'”
Todd, 57, echoed that sentiment, explaining that choosing “Jailhouse Rock” was a way to control the narrative before critics could weaponize it.
“For me, when I chose ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ I think it was me saying to the world, to the naysayers, ‘I’m going to get here before you guys get here,'” he says. “And you’re not going to hold me hostage because of the horrible things that happened in our lives. You’re not going to shame me for that. And I’m going to have my peace.” So we leaned into it at that point. ”
Despite being sent home early, the Chrisleys say their time with the singing competition was positive and markedly different from past projects.
Regarding her elimination, Julie said, “It was disappointing, but I had a great time, so I can’t complain.”
Todd added, “We had such a great time and were surrounded by great people. Our team that was assigned to us was amazing. And Julie and I, it was the first thing Julie and I produced without the kids, and it was different. We had a great time and had so much fun.”
Todd was confident and opinionated on stage, but Julie jokes that maybe he was his weak point.
“Todd has a great voice,” she says. “He actually recorded a song years ago with country music singer Sarah Evans. He has a great voice. I was just the ball and chain in this scenario and I apologized to him.”
The appearance was also another milestone in the couple’s long journey back to normalcy after their incarceration. This period tested their nearly 30-year marriage in ways few could have imagined.
“We hadn’t heard from each other for 28 months,” Julie reveals. “We couldn’t talk. Email was limited because we were considered high-profile in prison…but we were monitored and it was very slow.”
Still, she says the separation didn’t shake their foundation. “We’re a team. We’ve been married for 30 years this May,” she says. “Yes, I went into that prison alone. But in my heart, Todd was always there. … When I walked out of there, I knew we would still be going home to each other.”
Now reunited and refocused, the Chrisleys are moving full steam ahead as professionals. “We’re going to be doing a new show with the whole family,” Todd said. Todd made his reality TV debut alongside other members of the Chrisley family on USA Network’s unscripted hit Chrisley Knows Best, which aired for 10 seasons from 2014 to 2023.
“Julie has a cooking show…I’m doing another show with (son) Chase (Chrisley) and Julie is doing a show with (daughter) Savannah (Chrisley). And I’m going overseas for two weeks to film the show. 2026, we’re very blessed. 2026 is very busy.”
Julie agreed, laughing and saying: “We have to make up for lost time!”
“The Masked Singer” airs every Wednesday at 8pm ET on FOX.
