Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
President Donald Trump announced on May 27 that he will fully pardon Chrisley Knows Best reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley of their financial crimes. The husband and wife were convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in loans and engaging in federal tax evasion. The Chrisleys, who pleaded not guilty, had their prison sentences shortened in 2023 for being “model inmates” — Todd’s 12-year-sentence in Florida was reduced to 10 years, while Julie’s 7-year-sentence in Kentucky was reduced to 5 years. Their 27-year-old daughter, Savannah, has consistently advocated for their release. “Your parents are gonna be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told Savannah during a Tuesday phone call that was recorded and posted on social media by a White House aide. “I don’t know them, but give them my regards, and wish them a good life.” Here’s what to know about what led up to this pardon, how the five Chrisley children have reacted to the news, when Julie and Todd will likely be coming home, and what could happen next.
Why were the Chrisleys behind bars?
According to prosecutors, before they became the heads of a reality-TV empire, the Chrisleys submitted false documents to get fraudulent loans, then paid them off by obtaining more fraudulent loans. The couple was also accused of years of tax evasion, allegedly defaulting on more than $20 million in debt when Todd declared bankruptcy in 2012. After a three-week trial in Atlanta in 2022, a federal grand jury found Julie and Todd guilty of eight counts of financial fraud and two counts of tax evasion. Julie was convicted of additional counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
What did Trump say about his decision?
During his call with Savannah, Trump said he’d been told that Julie and Todd “were given a pretty harsh treatment,” adding, “I hear they’re terrific people. This should not have happened.” Savannah has claimed that her parents were mistreated behind bars, alleging to Daily Mail in 2023 that her dad was held in 100-degree heat without air conditioning, and that ice machines were padlocked to “retaliate” against inmates. “Where mom is, they just don’t… it’s bad,” she said. (At the time, prison representatives issued statements asserting that people in custody were treated humanely.)
Trump added that Alice Marie Johnson, who stood beside him during the call, “had a lot to do with” the pardon of the Chrisleys. In 2018, the president commuted Johnson’s sentence to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. He announced this February that Johnson would be his “pardon czar,” offering recommendations on who to pardon.
BREAKING!
President Trump calls @_ItsSavannah_ to inform her that he will be granting full pardons to her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley!
Trump Knows Best! pic.twitter.com/j5WPMOOQ7L
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 27, 2025
Are there any other factors that could’ve contributed to Trump’s pardon?
Trump has a history of pardoning his supporters, and the Chrisleys have been pretty vocal about how they feel about the president. (When Trump was found guilty in his hush money trial in May 2024, for example, Savannah said on Instagram that it was “undeniably a somber day, not only for his supporters but for anyone who believes in the principles of fairness and justice.”) The Chrisleys’ attorney, Alex Little, has also maintained that this case was political. “President Trump recognized what we’ve argued from the beginning: Todd and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile,” Little said in a statement. “Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.”
Meanwhile, Savannah told People that she has been advocating for her parents to be pardoned “through the proper channels.” In a video celebrating the news of her parents release, she thanked unspecified “political figures” for believing in her and her family. Fox reports that at the 2024 Republican National Convention in July, she criticized “rogue prosecutors” and claimed that the judge attempted to insult her family by calling them the “Trumps of the South.” This February, she shared on Instagram that she’d had lunch at the White House as part of her fight against the “Department of Injustice.”
How did the Chrisley family react to the pardon?
Savannah grabbed a Make America Great Again hat and filmed an Instagram video declaring that she is “forever grateful” to Trump. She also thanked lawyers, fans, and unnamed political figures for their support. “It still doesn’t feel real,” Savannah said. “It doesn’t! I’m freaking out.” She vowed that she will “stand next to” Trump and his administration and expose “corruption,” in a seeming reference to previous claims she has made about issues within the prison system. “Thank God for a president like Donald J Trump,” she said. “Thank God for a president who wants to restore families and who loves people […] and took the time to call me from the Oval Office to let me know that my parents are getting their lives back.”
The rest of the Chrisley siblings — Chase, Grayson, Lindsie, and Kyle — all also celebrated on social media. Chase posed in a MAGA hat on his Instagram Story and shared a Instagram post of himself kissing Todd’s mom, Nanny Faye, on the cheek. “Victory lap,” he wrote in the caption. Meanwhile, Grayson sent a message to Trump on his Instagram Story, writing “PRAISE GOD!!!! Thank you Mr President for bringing my family back @realdonaldtrump.” In a nod to a pun made by the White House’s account, he added, “Trump knows best.” Lindsie shared a heart emoji on her Instagram Story alongside the message, “With God all things are possible.” Kyle, who is estranged from Todd, told E! News he is “ecstatic.” He expressed gratitude to Savannah and Trump, and noted that he remains “hopeful that another reconciliation is possible.”
How long will it take for the Chrisleys to be released?
In Savannah’s celebratory Tuesday video, she said that Julie and Todd are coming home “tonight or tomorrow,” adding that she has been getting clothes and their room ready. Toward the end of the video, she said she was going to “prepare to pick up my parents.” A White House official told E! News that Trump is expected to officially sign the pardon before the end of the day on Wednesday, May 28.
What’s next for the Chrisleys?
Julie and Todd haven’t announced plans yet, but maybe they’ll pick up with some of the reality-TV projects that were put on hold or scrapped after their sentencing? We’re sure the IRS will be eager to see what new sources of income they might take on.
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