Lindsie Chrisley’s Journey of Acceptance and Self-Discovery in the Midst of Adoption Chaos

Lindsie Chrisley is reflecting on the process of being legally adopted by dad Todd Chrisley’s wife Julie Chrisley.

On Wednesday’s episode of PodcastOne’s The Southern Tea, the Chrisley Knows Best alum (who is Todd’s daughter from his first marriage to Teresa Terry) looked back on her decision to go through with legal adoption as a young adult — and shared her thoughts on what she’d do differently if given another chance.

“That decision was made when I was 19 years old. She did legally adopt me,” said Lindsie, 33. “That whole process was, looking back on it, a lot more chaotic than what I felt like it was when I was living it.”

Upon reflection, Lindsie feels like she “was going through an identity crisis” between age 17 and 19 that caused her to feel “a lack of belonging.” Because of that, “I thought I was raised by my dad and Julie and raised with their children that they jointly created. And I felt like to be a part of that and make that feel whole, that going through that adoption process would solidify those feelings,” she explained.

“And I would never have to do to therapy or anything like that because all of my feelings of abandonment would just go away. And that absolutely is not what happened,” she said. “I feel like I, more so, complicated the situation more than anything. I wish that I would have done therapy ahead of walking through that process because I feel like I would have gotten more out of it had I done the actual work before making that decision.”

“I don’t have any regrets for going through with the adoption. I just feel like looking back on it, I would have actually done the work before I made that decision,” she added. “Again, glad that I made the decision, don’t have regrets because the last thing I want is for people to go online and say, ‘Oh, well, she regrets this decision. No, I do not regret the decision.”

Recalling the day in court when the adoption process was completed, Lindsie — whose brother Kyle Chrisley was also born during Todd and Teresa’s marriage from 1990 to 1996 — remembered how the judge who was present indicated that the legal adoption “can never be reversed” and that her birth certificate would be “sealed” thereafter. The document also features Julie’s maiden name, Hughes, so the eldest Chrisley daughter believes it looks like she was “born out of wedlock,” which was not the case.