Teresa Terry Is Todd Chrisley's First Wife: Inside Their Love Story

Self-made multimillionaire Todd Chrisley shares most aspects of his family and business dealing with the world on "Chrisley Knows Best." However, one part of his life that he is less open about is his rocky first marriage to Teresa Terry.

At 19, Teresa Terry had a shot-gun wedding to her high-school sweetheart Todd Chrisley. She later admitted that they likely would not have tied the knot had they not fallen pregnant with their daughter Lindsie. The couple had a son, Kyle, a few months later.

The seven-year marriage was pockmarked with claims of domestic abuse and controlling behavior. Even after getting divorced, drama followed the exes with custody battles, a child support suit, and a child abduction case against the future reality star.

Todd Chrisley's First Wife

Terry characterized their relationship as "very Southern and laid back" in the early years of their marriage in the late 80s. The young parents enjoyed going to the movies, having family meals, and hanging out.

Their outlook on material things was a core sticky point. Terry, whose simple style is personified by her ponytail and baseball cap, told Daily Mail:

"He always belonged somewhere else. He carried himself different. He always wanted to wear the latest fashions, most of the people we went to school with were happy to wear T-shirts and jeans. He wanted to get his clothes at Neiman Marcus."

The Breakdown of a Marriage

According to Terry, they frequently separated during their marriage, and her ex was physically and emotionally abusive toward her. Todd has denied these allegations. Terry unpacked their rocky union:

"Most likely, we wouldn't have married if I hadn't been pregnant, but we did, and it was a big deal. We were both headstrong. He likes to control his environment. That is one part of [Chrisley Knows Best] that is not fiction."

The couple got divorced after seven years. Terry filed a domestic violence case against her ex, which was later withdrawn. She filed a child abduction case after an incident where he wouldn't let her collect Lindsie from his parent's house. He denies this charge.

Repeat Custody Battles

The former couple was granted joint legal and physical custody of their two children in the divorce agreement. After relocating to Atlanta, Todd reopened the custody case, leading to a ruling that was more in his favor with the children attending school in Atlanta.

The second custody agreement meant Terry, who lived in South Carolina, saw Lindsie and Kyle much less. He tried to get one over his ex-wife again in 2012 with a failed $1 million child support suit.

Labeling her first marriage "a wild ride," Terry stated that she has no regrets over the union as it gave her Lindsie and Kyle. She now lives out of the public eye with her second husband and their two children in Oklahoma.

Teresa and Todd's Children

A teenage Terry gave birth to Lindsie in September 1989 and gave her a bother, Kyle, in August 1991. Kyle was only on the first season of "Chrisley Knows Best." Todd and his second wife won custody of Kyle's daughter Chloe in 2013 due to his addiction struggles.

She never wanted to be on the show and only agreed for her father's sake despite their estrangement that began in college.

Respecting Terry's privacy, Lindsay has refrained from discussing her mother in public. The reality star turned podcaster only disclosed that they were still in contact and that she saw her maternal grandparents.

Todd's Next Romance

Todd Chrisley married his second wife and future reality co-star, Julie, a few months after finalizing his divorce from Terry in 1996. The pair conceived their two children, Chase and Savannah, in quick succession, welcoming Grayson in 2006. About their first meeting, he gushed:

"I knew that I was in love with her the moment she walked into my friend’s house. That’s the first night that I met her. And the moment she walked in the room, it’s the only time before and since that anything had ever taken my breath."

Julie's husband encouraged her to get the mammogram that picked up her breast cancer early. She credits his support during this time for taking their relationship to a new level.

Lindsie's Relationship with Chrisley Clan and Reality TV

Lindsie appeared in the first five seasons of "Chrisley Knows Best." Her relationship with her father, stepmother, and half-siblings has been stormy. Her father was upset when she eloped with Will Campbell without getting his blessing in 2012.

Lindsie told Dr. Phill in an interview that she never wanted to be on the show and only agreed for her father's sake despite their estrangement that began while she was in college. On "Coffee Convos," her podcast with Kailyn Lowry, she said she felt like an "outcast" in the family:

"Even though they didn't make me feel like that intentionally, I just felt that way."

Reality Fame and Financial Fraud Blame

The Chrisleys opened the doors of their Atlanta mansion for a reality show, "Chrisley Knows Best," on the USA Network in 2014. The couple launched the podcast "Chrisley Confessions." After being found guilty in a multimillion-dollar tax fraud lawsuit, Todd reportedly said:

"The world tries to heap shame on people, to pull them down, but I don't accept that. I won't absorb shame for something I didn't do."

Lindsie was dragged into the media storm of the family's legal woes when TMZ broke the news that she had filed a case against her father and Chase. She claimed that they tried to blackmail her into cooperating with their case with the threat of releasing her sex tape.

By June 2022, Lindsie and her father had reconciled, and she even testified in his defense at the trial. In her new podcast, "Southern Tea," she explained how her divorce, not the trial, led to the reconciliation with her father.