Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley says it’s “infuriating” when people refer to her sister Chloe Chrisley as her niece.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Savannah said her parents adopted her brother’s child, Chloe, which makes Chloe her sister.
“My heart, honestly, breaks for Chloe because she has not had an easy upbringing. Her biological parents turned their backs on her from a very young age,” Savannah, 27, told PEOPLE exclusively. “When my parents got custody of her, her biological father [was] completely out of the picture [and] mother [was] out of the picture. That was their choice.”
When Todd and Julie Chrisley were incarcerated for bank fraud, Savannah took custody of Chloe, 12, and her brother Grayson, 18.
Savannah’s other siblings include Chloe’s father Kyle, 33, Lindsie, 35, and Chase, 28.
Kyle fathered Chloe with his ex Angela Johnson, who gave up her parental rights.
Savannah cringes at comments saying Chloe is her niece.
“It’s just infuriating because people want to use race to cause this huge divide,” she says, noting that fans need to “do your research” and “know the full story.”
“Her mother gave her away,” said Savannah, pictured with Chloe and Grayson. “It wasn’t like my parents went out here and said, ‘Hey, I want a sixth child. We’re in the latter part of our life and we want a sixth child.’ No, they took Chloe because they loved her and they wanted to save her from a very bad situation. They wanted to give her the best life possible.”
“When Chloe looks at me, she’s like, ‘That’s my sister.’ When people look at my dad and say, ‘Well, that’s Chloe’s grandpa.’ Chloe’s like, ‘Why do they keep saying that?'” Savannah continues. “So, when people make these public comments, they always want to put titles on things. When in reality, all they’re doing is hurting her. They’re hurting the child.”
Savannah added: “[Chloe] hates it when people say, ‘Oh, that’s your aunt,’ or, ‘That’s your grandpa.’ Because that’s not what she identifies with. And a child psychologist said, ‘If she calls you mom, that’s because you make her feel the love of a mother. You show up like a mom does. You show up like a dad does. So, if that’s what she identifies with, let her call you that.'”
