Todd and Julie Chrisley were released from federal prison this week after receiving full and unconditional pardons from President Donald Trump, marking a dramatic turn in the reality TV family's years-long legal battle. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, said the couple is still "in shock" as they adjust to life outside prison following their 2022 convictions on fraud charges.
"Oh my gosh, it has been amazing. It's still just kind of... it doesn't feel real," Savannah, 27, told People in her first interview since the pardons were granted. "I wake up this morning and my mom's walking into my bedroom and I'm like, it's absolutely insane!"
Todd, 57, and Julie, 52, were convicted in 2022 after a 2019 indictment and sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison. Both sentences were later reduced, and they began serving time in early 2023-Todd in Florida and Julie in Kentucky. They had not seen or spoken to each other during their incarceration, Savannah said.
Speaking outside a Florida prison on Wednesday, Savannah revealed that the family planned to reunite in Nashville. "Their 29th wedding anniversary was May 25, so we're only a few days out from that," she said. "When they reunite, we're going to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases, all the things, because we're going to make up for lost time."
President Trump, 78, announced the pardons Tuesday, telling Savannah during a phone call posted to social media, "It's a terrible thing but it's a great thing, because your parents are going to be free and clean. Congratulate your parents... I hear they're terrific people."
Julie served more than two years of a seven-year sentence, while Todd had completed a portion of his 12-year term. The former Chrisley Knows Best stars maintained their innocence throughout, with Savannah leading a public campaign for their release.
Now home, Savannah said her parents are readjusting slowly. "I do know that they're doing great. It's obviously an adjustment... I think they're kind of just in shock right now," she said. "It's just a big adjustment when you're in prison for two and a half years, and then you go back to so-called normal life. I can't imagine."
During their time behind bars, Savannah assumed full responsibility for her younger siblings, Grayson, 19, and Chloe, 12, and took over as the family's financial and legal advocate. Chloe, Savannah said, is still processing the news: "She doesn't want to get her hopes up because she feels like something bad is going to happen."
Savannah also launched her own businesses and began working with criminal justice reform groups. "This doesn't just stop at my family," she said. "Once I saw the system and how broken it was... I just knew that I had to do something about it."
She added that her parents share that commitment. "They just have a heart now. They have a heart for these men, women that are in prison and who they feel like they've left behind," she said. "They know too much to not do something about it."
