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Todd Chrisley Breaks Silence on Prison Release
Todd Chrisley has spoken out after spending years in prison.
After being incarcerated on fraud charges for over two years, the Chrisley Knows Best star and his wife Julie Chrisley walked free as a result of their presidential pardons from Donald Trump and celebrated their freedom.
"I want to thank first and foremost, my Lord and Savior, because that's who got me through it," Todd said during a press conference May 30. "I want to thank President Trump. I want to thank the administration. I want to thank Alice [Marie]Johnson. I want to thank every person that has prayed for us, that has stayed in the fight and that fought for the truth to come out, and so I am grateful for it."
"And as Savannah [Chrisley] said," he added, referring to his daughter, "she has fought a long fight, and for any parent to see their child fight this hard, it's a double edged sword. It's a blessing, and then your heart breaks because your child has been placed in that position to fight for you, when, as a parent, you're supposed to fight for your children. So I will always be grateful to you."
Prior to their release, Todd and Julie—who was absent from the press conference, remaining at home with Chloe Chrisley—were set to be released in 2032 and 2028, respectively, for their convictions of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. However, Trump signed off on the pair’s pardons May 28.
Todd went on to share that his experience has influenced him to advocate for justice reform, and reflected on being reunited with his wife after their pardons.
"I know that Julie, who is a wonderful, decent, God-fearing woman that I am blessed to have been married to and been with for over 30 years now," he added, "she's at home with Chloe right now, and Chloe will not let her go. So, we're blessed to have our family back, and we're blessed to be coming back to television, because we do have a much bigger story to tell now than we ever have."
Though the president had never met the Chrisley Knows Best parents, a White House official told E! News on May 27 that the Apprentice alum knows their daughter Savannah,who had been advocating for their release.
Hours after receiving the phone call from Trump letting her know that Todd and Julie—who are also parents to Chase Chrisley, 28, and Grayson Chrisley, 19—would be pardoned, Savannah shared her gratitude.
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"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," Savannah said in a statement to E! News. "This moment is the answer to countless prayers, and I am beyond grateful to President Trump for seeing the truth and restoring my family."
The 27-year-old also expressed thanks for Alice Marie Johnson—who, with the help of Kim Kardashian, was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 after 22 years in prison and became a criminal justice reform advocate—who presented the Chrisleys' case to the Commander-in-Chief.
"I also want to thank Alice Marie Johnson for her unwavering support," Savannah continued, "and our attorney, Alex Little, for being an essential part of this process."
Tune into E! on Sunday, June 1 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to watch a Chrisley Knows Best marathon, and read on to learn more about Todd and Julie’s case.
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