PEOPLE confirmed that reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were both released from prison on Wednesday, May 28, one day after receiving a full pardon from President Donald Trump. The couple had been serving their sentences in separate prisons since January 2023 of tax evasion and bank fraud the previous year.
Todd, 56, was released from the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida, with his daughter Savannah Chrisley there to pick him up; and Julie was picked up by their son Grayson Chrisley from Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The couple, who haven’t seen or spoken to each other since entering prison more than two years ago, are expected to be reunited soon.
On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned the Chrisleys, who were serving prison sentences for charges that include bank fraud and tax evasion. In a call with the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, Pres. Trump shared the news of her parents’ pardon. A post from spokesperson Margo Martin shows Trump telling Savannah Chisley: “It’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow. I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.” The former president later added that the Chrisleys had been “treated very unfairly.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley were best known for their reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best, which chronicled their affluent lifestyle and family dynamic. Prosecutors accused the Chrisleys of fabricating documents to secure over $30 million in fraudulent loans from banks in the Atlanta area. Todd Chrisley declared bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million in outstanding loans, leaving financial institutions in the lurch. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 16 months of probation, while Julie was ordered to serve seven years in prison and 16 months of probation. They were also ordered to repay $17.8 million in restitution. In the release announcing their prison sentence in 2022, a Justice Department attorney said “their lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme and should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for unlawful personal gain.”
Daughter Savannah Chrisley, who is a Trump supporter and even spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, celebrated the news in a video she posted to Instagram. Wearing a gold “Make America Great Again” hat, the 27-year-old said: “I have shed so many tears. The president called me personally as I was walking into Sam’s Club and notified me that he was signing pardon paperwork for both my parents. So both my parents are coming home tonight or tomorrow. And I still don’t believe it’s real. The fact that the president called me – I will forever be grateful for President Trump, his administration and everyone along the way.”
Son Grayson Chrisley, 19, also took to Instagram to thank the President for pardoning his parents: “PRAISE GOD!!!! Thank you Mr. President for bringing my family back. TRUMP KNOWS BEST… When 45/47 says something, he keeps his word.”
Chrisleys’ attorney Alex Little applauded the pardon decision, calling it a long-overdue correction of a serious miscarriage of justice. “This pardon restores two loving parents to their family and community. President Trump saw what we’ve maintained from the outset: that Todd and Julie were unfairly targeted. Their trial was marred by constitutional issues and bias. Their story illustrates why the power to pardon exists. Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisleys now have the chance to heal and move forward.”
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