Todd Chrisley Reveals He Is Battling Coronavirus: "It Has Been the Sickest I Have Ever Been"

Photo credit: Paul Archuleta - Getty Images
Photo credit: Paul Archuleta - Getty Images

From Good Housekeeping

  • Todd Chrisley is opening up about being rushed to the emergency room after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus several weeks ago.

  • In his podcast, he says that severe symptoms have left him feeling "the sickest I have ever been on this earth."

  • His family is also sharing harrowing details about his fight to recover, and pleading with fans to stay home and stay safe.


Usually a prime example of an "open book" for viewers, Todd Chrisley shocked fans when he revealed that he is at home fighting to get past severe symptoms after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Members of the Chrisley family all stepped forward yesterday to recount how COVID-19 symptoms first crept up on Todd, before detailing the harrowing account of how the 52-year-old Chrisley Knows Best star ended up in the hospital for nearly five days. Currently, there are more than 430,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all 50 states.

Todd first revealed the news in a Wednesday episode of his Chrisley Confessions podcast, where he shared details of the severe symptoms that caused him to be hospitalized in the first place.

"I have been battling corona for three weeks. I was in the hospital for four and a half days, fever between 100 to 103 [degrees] and it has been the sickest I have ever been on this earth," he said in the podcast. "Hopefully, I will get better every day, but as of right now, folks, I still am not clicking on all cylinders. I am probably about 70 to 75% of what I normally I am, but that last 25% is kicking my a**."

Todd added that he's never felt that there's been another illness that has affected him as profoundly as COVID-19: “I cannot ever tell you a time in my life where I have ever been as sick as what I had been with the coronavirus." And Julie Chrisley, 47, joined her husband on the podcast to add even more detail. "This is serious. This is something that we've been dealing with for the past few weeks… Todd and I have been together for 25 years, I have never in 25 years seen him as sick as what he was in the past few weeks."

It's unclear if any other member of the Chrisley family have since been tested for COVID-19, but Julie says that the entire family is taking utmost precautions. “If you are doubting or have not been affected by corona personally … you need to know that this is serious," she continued. "There are people who are dying and we have to take it seriously. We have to practice social distancing, and we have to stay in if at all possible.”

Savannah Chrisley, Todd's daughter, also took to Instagram after the podcast aired to share how watching her father get rushed into the hospital affected her. “He went into an urgent care just like the rest of u would [sic]," she wrote on Instagram. "After getting tested he went back home and stayed quarantined in his bedroom for 7 days and then his test came back..POSITIVE..when mom and I read that our hearts dropped."

View this post on Instagram

COVID-19: Dad was diagnosed with the coronavirus about 2.5 weeks ago..and I have never been so scared in my life. When everything started with COVID-19 I was like a lot of u...my mindset was “Wash your hands, don’t touch people, and you’ll be ok...” BUT BOY HAS THAT IRRESPONSIBLE MINDSET CHANGED! When dad started getting sick I immediately started worrying...he and I are the worriers of the bunch. After a couple days mom and I talked him into going to urgent care...he went in and he was showing all symptoms of COVID-19 so they tested him. Here in TN Vanderbilt was extremely prepared for testing and has testing at 15 or so of their walk in clinics. So before people say...”OH HE ONLY GOT TESTED BECAUSE HES A CELEBRITY...” u are WRONG! He went into an urgent care just like the rest of u would. After getting tested he went back home and stayed quarantined in his bedroom for 7 days and then his test came back..POSITIVE..when mom and I read that our hearts dropped. Dads symptoms were worsening as days went on..finally at 3am on a Sunday he woke mom up saying he has to go to the ER..he couldn’t fight it any longer. When she got there they made her drop him off and leave because of all the strict guidelines. He stayed at Vanderbilt for 3 days and those were the hardest 3 days I think I’ve ever endured. I talk to my daddy 10x a day! He’s my bestfriend...I also never go to bed a single night without a “Goodnight and I love you” text..and now my dad was sitting in a hospital room by himself and I had no idea how he was. At one point I fell on my hands and knees and begged God to not take him..to not take my bestfriend..I would give everything I had if it meant keeping my daddy. I was so desperate that I dropped photos of our family off at the hospital and said “If he sees these I know he’ll keep fighting!” So I guess the point of me telling u all this is so that u take it seriously...STAY HOME! SOCIAL DISTANCE! And most importantly..LOVE HARDER THAN EVER! Life is so short. I also owe a HUGE THANK U to my friends @charlesgalanismd @drjacobunger for walking me through all the steps we needed to follow and continuously checking in on us. As well as the drs and nurses @ Vandy?

A post shared by Savannah Faith Chrisley (@savannahchrisley) on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:15pm PDT

Savannah says that Todd tried to recover at home first — but was later rushed to the emergency room at the Vanderbuilt University Medical Center in Nashville in the middle of the night, People reports. “I talk to my daddy 10X a day! He’s my best friend…I also never go to bed a single night without a ‘Goodnight and I love you’ text..and now my dad was sitting in a hospital room by himself and I had no idea how he was,” she shared. “I was so desperate that I dropped photos of our family off at the hospital and said ‘If he sees these I know he’ll keep fighting!'"

As for Todd, he says he's focusing on making a full recovery, despite lingering symptoms after weeks of treatment and bed rest. "This has been a life-altering experience for me. I know it’s been a life-altering experience for everyone in my family,” he said on the podcast. “I think that what it has taught me is to look around and see the things that truly, truly matter — and what matters is health,” Todd shared. “You can have all the money in the world but if you don’t have your health, you have nothing. It’s been a tough, tough three weeks."


As more information about the coronavirus pandemic develops, some of the information in this story may have changed. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, please visit the online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department. You can work to better protect yourself from COVID-19 by washing your hands, avoiding contact with sick individuals, and sanitizing your home, among other actions.


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