Savannah Chrisley Says It’s ‘Infuriating’ When Fans Refer to Sister Chloe as Her Niece: They’re ‘Hurting Her’ (Exclusive)

Savannah Chrisley wants to be clear about one particular family matter.

The large, famed Chrisley brood consists of patriarchs Todd and Julie Chrisley as well as Savannah’s siblings Lindsie, 35, Kyle, 33, Chase, 28, Grayson, 18, and Chloe, 12. Although Chloe is the biological daughter of Kyle and his ex Angela Johnson, Todd, 55, and Julie, 52, legally adopted the tween in 2016, making them her legal parents and the youngest Chrisley sibling. The adoption came amid Kyle’s ongoing personal struggles.

“My heart, honestly, breaks for Chloe because Chloe has not had an easy upbringing. Her biological parents turned their backs on her from a very young age,” Savannah, 27, alleges to PEOPLE exclusively. “When my parents got custody of her, her biological father [was] completely out the picture [and] mother [was] out of the picture. That was their choice.”

Therefore, when comments regarding Chloe as anything other than a sibling arise, it’s not something Savannah tolerates. “It’s just infuriating because people want to use race to cause this huge divide,” she says, noting that fans referring to Chloe as her “niece” need to “do your research” and “know the  full story.”

“Her mother gave her away,” the Chrisley Knows Best alum claims. “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?’ ” she 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.”

In fact, the Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley podcast host says there “was never a time to where my dad said, ‘You have to call me dad,’ or, ‘You have to call  her mom.’ ”

“My dad fought against it because he felt guilt at the fact that his son’s child is now calling him dad,” she explains. “My dad felt a guilt he never should have felt, because if Chloe’s biological father would’ve been a father, then we wouldn’t be in this position. And so, Chloe struggles with that. She hates it.”

“She 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,’ ” she adds.

“I think when people make these public comments, they’re only hurting the child. That’s what’s sad.”

Currently, family patriarchs Todd and Julie are serving a prison sentence for fraud and tax evasion charges.  And while they are in the process of appealing their case and seeking alternative options for their release, Savannah has stepped in to become the legal guardian to younger siblings Chloe and Grayson.

“I could never imagine being a parent and having to give my child over to someone else. I don’t want that for anyone. But that’s what happened here. And so, I just took it as it came,” she says.

“We are best friends. Me, Chloe, and Grayson,” she concludes. “It’s like we’re the three best friends. It’s all three of us, and we just tackle everything together.”

Kyle Chrisley and Angela Johnson didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.