Celebrity
Todd And Julie Chrisley’s First Moments Together Post-Pardon Described As ‘Overwhelming’
In a recent interview, the actor and TV personality talked about how he and his parents interacted while incarcerated and recalled their reunion.
Shortly after his parents, Julie and Todd Chrisley, were pardoned by President Donald Trump, Chase Chrisley chatted with Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight.
Their chat begins with Kevin asking Chase to recount the moment his family became whole again. “Man,” Chase began, becoming visibly emotional. “It was a beautiful moment. I don’t think it really hit me until they were both home.”
Chase remembered how he got to see his parents embrace once again. “We’re all hugging each other and crying. […] It was just a beautiful moment, and answered prayers for sure, I mean, I can’t even describe it—the amount of joy that I felt,” he told Kevin.
Kevin added that Julie and Todd hardly spoke to each other during their incarceration, but Chase revealed that they did interact by email, but it was a drawn-out procedure.
“The only contact that they had was through emails, which the B.O.P. delayed for weeks on end,” he said. Chase explained that Todd would send an email to his wife, and she wouldn’t receive it until two to three weeks afterward. “It was impossible to have a conversation,” he noted.
When asked how Julie and Todd reacted when they first saw each other, Chase replied, “They both just burst into tears, and my dad wrapped his arms around my mom, and I don’t think he’s let go. And I don’t think he’ll ever let go.”
Chase also talked about how his parents’ looks have altered when they were released from prison. He called his mother “an angel” and that she was “still beautiful.” He is 28 years old. Her hair was darker, he added, and he had advised her to colour it back to blonde.
“And she was like, ‘I’m not doing that.’ And my dad is just jacked,'” Chase continued, adding that his father had been hitting the gym every day while serving his time.
When asked if fitness was something Todd would still commit to after his release, Chase replied, “For sure, and unfortunately, I think he’s going to make me do it with him.” He added he was not a fan of the gym, but said he would still join his dad on his fitness journey.
Later in the interview, Chase shared how he found out his parents had been pardoned. “I was actually working. That’s when I got the call and I was like, ‘I gotta go.’ And I was just—I was in tears, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it.”
After spending more than two years in federal prison, his sister, Savannah Chrisley, also commended the president for their pardons.
On May 28, the reality TV personality expressed her thanks to the media in a full press conference while wearing bright pink MAGA attire from head to toe. Outside the prison, she stood in the Florida sun and sobbed, “I’m just a daughter who wants to take my dad home with me.”
On Tuesday, May 27, Donald personally communicated his intention to pardon their parents to Savannah and her brother, Grayson Chrisley, from the Oval Office.
On the call, Donald said, “It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean. We’ll try getting it done tomorrow, so give them — I don’t know them — but give them my regards and wish them well. Wish them a good life.”
“Mr. President,” Grayson replied, “I just want to say thank you for bringing my parents back.” A day later, the Chrisleys—Julie from a facility in Kentucky and Todd from FPC Pensacola in Florida—walked free when their sentences were formally revoked.
Savannah, who’s been openly lobbying for her parents’ release since their convictions, was overtaken with emotion as she spoke about the time Donald contacted her. She told how the call came through just as she was walking into Sam’s Club, taking her completely off guard.
Donald told her that he was reuniting her family. Savannah described the conversation as “just a human to human interaction,” adding, “yes he is our president but he is also a person with a heart” who genuinely cares about people.
She said that her parents originally didn’t trust the news, thinking it might be a mistake or a prank. During the call, Donald and Savannah’s brother discussed about the president’s recent commencement speech at the University of Alabama.
Savannah, who was clearly moved and filled with admiration, thought that the moment was very personal. She also thanked Alice Marie Johnson and Ed Martin, who briefly held the position of interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., and Donald’s pardon allies.
Savannah reported that she received a flurry of both criticism and support after making the revelation. She defended herself when some questioned how she obtained the pardon.
“I didn’t have to do anything other than stand firm in my beliefs and convictions and fight for my parents and what was right,” she said.
Savannah added, “This president has given people hope — hope in our future, hope in a brighter future, not just for the wealthy or those who’ve campaigned for him. He has truly given everyone a chance at a better life, and for that I will forever be grateful.”
Savannah’s younger brother Grayson was in Kentucky picking up their mother, Julie Chrisley, while Savannah waited outside Todd’s prison in Florida. Stars of the reality show “Chrisley Knows Best,” Todd and Julie, were found guilty of conspiracy, tax evasion, and fraud and were given sentences of 12 and seven years, respectively, in November 2022.
Savannah confirmed that the family has a new reality show in the works, one that will chronicle their legal battle and life post-pardon. “We’re excited. This is — it’s all God. We literally could not have done it. It’s all God and President Trump,” she said.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said that Donald is “always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system.”
Harrison added that Donald Trump thought the Chrisleys had been punished too harshly. The couple was charged by federal authorities for submitting fabricated financial records to get over $36 million in personal loans from Atlanta-area banks.
The monies were apparently used to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including expensive cars and luxury vacations. The government also claimed that they made millions from their reality program while defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and avoiding $500,000 in taxes that Todd owed. According to reports, they also neglected to pay taxes or file tax returns from 2013 to 2016.
In addition to the Chrisleys, Donald also granted mercy to Scott Jenkins, a former sheriff from Virginia. Scott was given a 10-year prison term in March for taking more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for giving auxiliary deputy sheriff jobs to a number of Virginia businesspeople.
Donald asserted that Scott and his family had endured significant hardships at the hands of the Justice Department, which he described as corrupt and politically driven under former President Joe Biden. Many of Donald’s clemency choices since taking office have been influenced by this story.
Donald has pardoned or commuted the sentences of thousands of people since the start of his second term, including about 1,500 people involved in the Capitol riot on January 6.
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