(NewsNation) — Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the USA Network reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were freed from prison Wednesday following pardons from President Donald Trump.
Convicted of bank and tax fraud in 2022, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, while Julie Chrisley received seven years.
Trump called Savannah Chrisley to deliver the news
The couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, exclusively told NewsNation that Trump called her while she was walking into a grocery store.
She said Trump told her he didn’t know her parents personally but wished them “a good life.”
Trump was joined for the call by “pardon czar” Alice Johnson, whose sentence he commuted during his first term.
Chase Chrisley reacts to pardons of Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley
Todd Chrisley has five children — two with his former wife and three with Julie Chrisley. On Tuesday, Chase Chrisley, 28, and the son of Todd and Julie, spoke out on his parents’ pardons.
“I am grateful to God and extremely grateful to President Trump and his entire administration,” Chase told the New York Post. “I’m beyond thankful to finally have my parents back home and my family together again!”
Kyle Chrisley also commented on the pardons, saying, “I just found out a little bit ago, and I still just can’t believe it.”
Lindsie Chrisley’s lawyer, Musa Ghanayem, released a statement to NBC News:
“When they make a pardon, sometimes presidents get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. This time, I think he got it right.”
Savannah Chrisley has advocated for parents’ release
Savannah Chrisley has publicly advocated for her parents’ release, arguing their sentences were excessive. She told a crowd at the 2024 Republican National Convention that they were the victims of a “two-faced justice system.”
“If I [believed] that my parents were guilty of what they did, then yes, they should have gone to prison,” Savannah Chrisley told “On Balance” on Tuesday. “I do not believe that even if they were guilty, the time they got was … I mean, it was absolutely insane.”
The couple’s 29th wedding anniversary was May 25, and Chrisley said her parents would have “a late wedding anniversary” celebration upon their release.
Todd Chrisley told NewsNation he was concerned about facility’s conditions
NewsNation’s Brian Entin has talked exclusively to Todd Chrisley from prison twice.
In December, the former real estate tycoon said he was concerned about conditions at the Pensacola, Fla., facility where he was held. He told NewsNation he and other inmates were subjected to filthy conditions.
He said prosecutors and prison staff had it out for him.
“The prosecutor said that we were the southern version of the Trumps,” he said. “I’m not going to have someone like him break my family. And that’s what he wanted to do, but he’s not been able to do that.”
NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer and Damita Menezes contributed to this report.