Former reality-TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley sat down with Fox News for an exclusive interview after their release from prison following pardons from President Donald Trump.
The pair, known for starring in the show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were unanimously convicted by a jury in 2022 on charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States. They received the pardons after a campaign by their daughter Savannah Chrisley.
Todd was serving a 12-year prison sentence, while Julie was serving seven years.
The couple, joined by their children Savannah and Grayson, spoke to Fox News’ Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law.
Todd Chrisley expressed how grateful the couple is for their release.
“We owe thanks to God,” he said. “And I say — and God touched President Trump’s heart. God led the people to advocate for us. And so I’m grateful, because every night I would pray that God would return me home to my wife and my children. And he did that, so I’m grateful.”
Julie Chrisley recalled the moment she found out about the pardon from her daughter.
“She said, ‘He did it! He signed it!’ And I just started busting out crying,” she said, adding that she hung up the phone right afterward and told those who asked if she was OK that “I’m getting out of here!”
Todd Chrisley said that when someone in prison stopped him and told him he had just gotten pardoned, he didn’t believe them. Later, a corrections officer went to his dormitory to check on him.
“And he goes, ‘Are you good?’ And I said, ‘As good as I can be,’” he said. “And he says, ‘Todd, you just got pardoned. They sent me down here to make sure you’re OK.’ And I said, ‘Well they don’t need to be worrying about me now. Hell, if I’m pardoned, I’m great!’”
The couple said they were grateful to God and Trump for reuniting them with their family.
The Chrisleys portrayed themselves as hardworking, Jesus-loving real estate moguls on the hit USA Network show that ran for 10 seasons starting in 2014. But federal prosecutors said they were swindlers who began defrauding banks before they became reality-TV stars and used the ill-gotten gains to support their lavish lifestyle in suburban Atlanta.
Trump was president when the Chrisleys were first indicted in 2019 and Bill Barr was the U.S. attorney general. They were convicted, along with their accountant, of bilking banks out of more than $36 million.
The Chrisleys formally requested a pardon in February, when Trump was back in the White House. According to Alex Little, an attorney for the Chrisleys, they did not request a pardon from President Joe Biden, claiming to be victims of a weaponized Biden Justice Department.
Little did not rule out that the Chrisleys might return to reality TV.
“Right now, their focus is reuniting as a family and spending family time together,” he said. “They are both people who have always been in the public eye, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to do that.”
Allan Smith, Corky Siemaszko and Matt Lavietes contributed.
