The longtime couple, who reported to prison in January 2023, had been pushing to appeal their case since their 2022 conviction
- Todd and Julie Chrisley have officially been pardoned by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, May 27
- The longtime couple reported to prison in January 2023 for tax evasion and bank fraud
- The two rose to fame on USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best
Todd and Julie Chrisley have officially been pardoned in their ongoing case.
On Tuesday, May 27, President Donald Trump announced that he had granted Todd, 57, and Julie, 52, full pardons. The longtime couple were previously convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022 before reporting to prison in January 2023.
Trump, 78, also noted that Todd and Julie were “given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I’m hearing.”
“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing, because your parents are going to be free and clean,” Trump said to the couple’s children via phone call. “I hope we can do it by tomorrow. … I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good luck.”
The couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, reacted to the news on Instagram Live, saying, “My parents get to start their lives over! My phone is going bananas right now, but President Trump gave them a full, unconditional pardon and for that, I am forever grateful. Thank you, President Trump.”
Savannah, 27, also celebrated the news of her parents’ imminent release in a statement, saying: “For the past two and a half years, I’ve done everything in my power to fight for my parents’ freedom and bring them home. This moment is the answer to countless prayers, and I am beyond grateful to President Trump for seeing the truth and restoring my family.”
“This administration does not hand out favors. It examines the facts and stands up for what is right. I also want to thank Alice Marie Johnson for her unwavering support and our attorney, Alex Little, for being an essential part of this process,” she continued.
“Today is a victory for our family, but the fight against wrongful convictions and injustice within our prison system is far from over. I will continue to use my voice and platform to advocate for those who do not have one,” she added. “Family is everything to me, and I will never stop fighting for what is right.”
Todd and Julie were initially indicted in August 2019 before being sentenced in November 2022 to a combined 19 years in prison. They had been appealing their case ever since.
Initially, Julie’s appeal was granted due to insufficient evidence, while Todd’s was upheld. However, a separate judge later ruled that her original punishment was sufficient. (Their original sentences were reduced in September 2023.)
Amid their imprisonment, Savannah had become the sole caretaker of the pair’s youngest children, Grayson, 19, and Chloe, 12, at just 25 years old. (The couple also shares son Chase, 28, while Todd also had children Lindsie, 35, and Kyle, 33, during a previous marriage.)
“I wasn’t expecting to get two kids,” Savannah told PEOPLE in a February feature. “So, between that, legal expenses to fight for my parents, I am just like anyone else out here. Sure, I put a smile on my face. I look the part, I play the part. But it doesn’t mean I actually am the part. You fake it till you make it. That’s the world that we live in. … I’ve struggled.”
All the while, the Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley podcast host has continued to fight for her parents’ return home. She even revealed to PEOPLE earlier this year that they had plans to seek a pardon from Trump. (Savannah had previously spoken at the Republican National Convention in 2024 in support of Trump, and reflected on her parents’ predicament in her speech.)
“I know that I am going through the proper channels to do so,” the Good Girl RX founder said. “And I’m going to bring as much awareness to it as possible because these things should not happen.”
Next, the Chrisley family is gearing up to star in an all-new docuseries for Lifetime. PEOPLE confirmed that the series, which succeeds USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best and Growing Up Chrisley, will see the brood “exposing the raw truth of their lives — past and present — and the reality is far different from what audiences have seen before.” It doesn’t currently have a release date and was originally not set to feature the famed patriarchs.