Todd and Julie Chrisley Share Moments They Learned They Were Getting Out of Prison

Julie and Todd Chrisley are opening up about the moment they learned they were going to be released from prison on a presidential pardon.

In a preview of Saturday’s episode of My View With Lara Trump, which will serve as the Chrisley Knows Best alum’s first TV interview post-prison, Julie said it was an emotional moment when she learned President Donald Trump had issued a pardon for her and her husband.

“I call [daughter Savannah Chrisley] one more time, and she said, ‘He did it! He signed it!’ And I just started busting out crying,” Julie, 52, told host Lara Trump. “And then I just hung up. I was so nervous, I just hung up.”

She continued, “It was the craziest thing because unfortunately, most of the news that you get in prison is bad news. So they’re like, ‘Are you OK?’ And I’m like, ‘I am! I think I’m getting out of here!’”

Todd was also initially in disbelief to learn he was going to be released. “So I went into my dorm and one of the [correctional officers] came in and he goes, ‘You good?’ And I said, ‘As good as I can be!’ And he said, ‘Todd, you just got pardoned. They sent me down here to see if you were OK,’” Todd, 56, recalled. “And I said, ‘Well hell, if I’m pardoned, they don’t have to be worried about me, I’m great!’”

On May 28, Todd and Julie were issued a full pardon by Trump after being convicted on tax and bank fraud charges in June 2022. Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie originally received a sentence of seven years before the reality couple reported to prison in January 2023.

The couple will be heading back to TV now that they’ve been freed, with Lifetime announcing prior to their pardon that it had greenlit a new docuseries, currently titled The Untitled Chrisleys Project.

“The Chrisleys don’t know best anymore, but they’re doing their best to be there for each other,” the network description read. “The family faces the challenge of carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents.” As Todd and Julie served out their sentences, “the family faces a critical point in their lives that will either make the family bond stronger or leave it shattered forever.”