Why isn’t Kyle Chrisley on Chrisley Knows Best this season?
When the second season of Chrisley Knows Best premiered earlier this month with a Father’s Day episode, Todd Chrisley’s son Kyle Chrisley was conspicuously absent.
“He has his struggles,” Todd told People this week, explaining Kyle is taking some time for himself. “As a family, we all continue to lift him up.”
However, Todd and Kyle seem to be on completely different pages — and their personal drama came to a head this week when Todd accused Kyle of selling a story about the family to The Daily Mail.*
Dont u hate when those nearest & dearest think they have u fooled when the entire time the tears u shed r pity for them bc u know their lies
— Todd Chrisley (@toddchrisley) October 23, 2014
My son Kyle is bipolar, he suffers from mental illness, he will struggle for life, Yes, the Daily mail prayed on this to sell a story..
— Todd Chrisley (@toddchrisley) October 23, 2014
We are a real family with real issues and my children are off limits, My son needs to get help and not by selling s story to a tabloid..
— Todd Chrisley (@toddchrisley) October 23, 2014
Todd added the family will continue to “survive through adversity with faith, hope and love” and “will lift our son up to God and not be distracted.” He said much of Kyle’s actions are actually because of “the manipulation of a girl desperate to be noticed.” That woman is presumably Alexus Whibley, Kyle’s wife since April.
Kyle, however, told Lalate he didn’t want to participate in the new season because he was unhappy with “production arrangements between him [and] Todd during season one.” He said he’s trying to move on with his life by releasing a country music single, Country Baby, with Alexus.
Meanwhile, Todd and wife Julie Chrisley are now raising Kyle’s daughter, Chloe, full-time. The mother, Angela Johnson, lives in South Carolina and recently said she’s devoting all of her attention to college and work so she can build a better future for her daughter.
*UPDATE Todd’s tweets about The Daily Mail were preemptive and the article he was referencing was only published after this story. (Daily Mail even responds to Todd’s tweets by saying they did not pay Kyle.)
In the article, Kyle claimed his dad is “a snake” who had no interest in Kyle’s daughter until others suggested featuring a mixed race baby “would be good for his demographic.”
“My dad is all about control. He’s vindictive and manipulative,” Kyle said. “He’s a snake and if there’s a snake in the grass you don’t know but hell it’ll bite you when you go by.”
He added he has been clean for “more than a year” and is petitioning to regain custody of his daughter.
“But I’m not taking a chance on him ruining my daughter. I’m not taking a chance on him being part of my daughter’s life and with Todd Chrisley everything is extreme — it’s all or nothing. So it has to be nothing,” Kyle said of cutting off communication with his dad. “We’re fighting this through court and I think that in two to three months we should have Chloe with us.”
Chrisley Knows Best airs on USA on Tuesdays at 10/9c.
