South Dakota inmate known for TikTok videos to be featured on We TV’s 'Love During Lockup'
Chris Chipps, a 40-year-old inmate who recently went viral on TikTok behind bars and is serving a 31-year sentence at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, will appear alongside his wife, Jade, on WeTV's newest season of the reality series, "Love During Lockup."
The show follows prisoners and their partners as they navigate the challenges of romance and relationships through incarceration, an experience the Chipps know all too well, since the two started dating and even married while Chris Chipps has been serving time.
Chris Chipps was convicted of one count of second-degree burglary and four counts of identity theft after breaking into a Whitewood couple's home in 2014, where he stole rare medications and tools and attempted to use a stolen credit card. Chris Chipps was also found guilty on a grand theft charge, after swiping car keys from an man in Meade County who had interviewed him for a job in April 2014 and stealing his vehicle about two months later.
Jade Chipps, a 33-year-old former flight attendant-turned-TikToker, told the Argus Leader she isn't sure how many of the eight hour-long episodes she and her husband will be featured, but she said "I'm hoping every episode."
"We haven't even seen the show yet. Like, it's going to be all new to us when we watch it," Jade Chipps said. "That's the scary part."
More: South Dakota's 'TikTok-famous' inmate is ready for a new chapter in life
Jade Chipps, who currently resides in Florida while waiting out her husband's sentence to end, said she plans to host friends and family for a prison-themed watch party during the premiere of the first episode.
Chris Chipps is both excited and nervous to appear on the reality show, but his emotions lean more toward the former. Because the Chipps are both TikTokers with their own social media following, built in part by how they relate the incarceration elements of their relationship with their audience, Chris Chipps told the Argus Leader the opportunity could "open doors" for both him and his wife in the future.
"I know that there's a stigma with being a convicted felon and losing the people's trust," Chris Chipps said. "I believe that, in the society we live in today, people get second chances at life and a lot of people are forgiving in that aspect, and I believe that people will see that."
Still, Chris Chipps said he has his anxieties about the whole affair. While he doesn't think the show will depict him in an unfair light, the incarcerated influencer isn't sure how to handle the uncertainty that comes with being on reality TV.
"Not knowing exactly the angle and not knowing exactly what was being covered and what wasn't … like, how I was portrayed or how Jade was portrayed or any negativity that could have been put out there and how that would affect people's view on me and Jade individually," Chris Chipps said. "I don't want to seem like a horrible person, and I don't want Jade to seem like a horrible person, and I guess it was just very stressful because I didn't know exactly how that was going to play out."
The 2023 season of the show premieres on Friday at 9 p.m. EDT on WeTV.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota inmate Chris Chipps to be featured on 'Love During Lockup'
