Todd Chrisley says he was briefly a member of the world’s oldest profession … getting down with an older woman in the back of a limo for cash when he was just 18 years old.

The reality star opened up about his time as an escort during an interview on Bunnie XO‘s “Dumb Blonde Podcast” … explaining that the first time he was paid for sex came about pretty much by accident.

TC says he was working at a Cheesecake Factory on the west side of Los Angeles back in 1986 after moving from South Carolina … when he received an $800 tip from a group of ladies.

Todd naively thought it was simply a tip … when he was later stopped by a man who brought him to one of the women he’d served, who required a bit more service for her dough.

He says he got in the car … and the pair did the deed — beginning a fiery, short-lived romance.

Worth noting … this isn’t the first time Todd has admitted to escorting. He actually revealed it on a podcast with his kids over the summer — though it seemed more like a joke at the time.

Apparently, he wasn’t kidding around … and — if you listen to the full podcast — Julie Chrisley says he doesn’t kid around in the bedroom either!