Todd and Julie Chrisley return to reality TV after Trump pardon frees them from prison

Fox News

2 days ago

After a full pardon from President Donald Trump, Todd and Julie Chrisley are making a return to reality television.
The Lifetime network previously greenlit a docuseries — "The Untitled Chrisleys Project" — on the family prior to Todd and Julie's release from prison.
The project, which is set to premiere later this year, showcases how Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley and Nanny Faye Chrisley have navigated the family hardship, as Todd and Julie were behind bars for bank fraud and tax evasion.
The reality couple were not initially expected to be included in the show since they were in prison. However, Todd and Julie, best known for their larger-than-life personalities on "Chrisley Knows Best," walked free on Wednesday following Trump's presidential pardon.
Their daughter, Savannah, confirmed that fans can expect to see everything unfold on camera while she was waiting for her father outside the Pensacola, Florida, federal prison on Wednesday.
"We have a new show coming out on Lifetime, and it will document all of these things," she told reporters.
"We have a new show coming out on Lifetime, and it will document all of these things. We're excited… We literally could not have done it. It's all God and President Trump at this point."
"We're excited…. We literally could not have done it. It's all God and President Trump at this point."
WATCH: Todd and Julie Chrisley's daughter Savannah gets emotional awaiting parents' prison release after Trump pardon
In a press release obtained by Fox News Digital earlier this month, it stated that "[i]n the new series, the Chrisleys don't know best anymore, but they're doing their best to be there for each other."
Todd and Julie's children, along with other family members, faced the challenges of "carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents."
While the elder couple faced time in prison, Savannah maintained custody of her younger siblings, Chloe and Grayson. She had been advocating for a presidential pardon for her parents since their sentencing.
"The show is still filming and will continue to, though the family's situation is evolving rapidly," a source told People.
"No one knew this pardon would happen and the goal is to cover their lives in real time, but things have significantly changed for them all and everyone in the family, as well as producers, are trying to figure it out and tell their authentic story."
Todd and Julie were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively, for bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022.
The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion; their sentences were later reduced.
Meanwhile, Todd and Julie were initially indicted in August 2019, and a new indictment was later filed. They were found guilty in June 2022 of not only bank fraud and tax evasion, but also conspiring to defraud the IRS.
Julie was seen leaving a butcher shop in Nashville, Tennessee, just one day after being released from federal prison.
The reality TV star, who was serving two and a half years at Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, was rocking her natural hair color while smiling outside the shop.
WATCH: Chrisley's pardon from Trump will wipe away the case 'entirely,' as if it never happened: lawyer
On Wednesday evening, Todd walked out of a federal prison in Pensacola after serving two and a half years in prison, according to his lawyer Alex Little's office.
Savannah got emotional outside the federal prison awaiting her father's release earlier in the day.
When speaking to reporters, Savannah said, "Honestly, this process has been absolutely insane, and I am so grateful that I'm going to leave here with my dad."
Savannah claimed that prosecutors had her father's head "on a dart board" before his prison sentence. She read Trump's pardon to the reporters, which stated an immediate release.
Hours after Todd was released from federal prison, his daughter kept the mood light and shared a sneak peek of her dad's physique as the reunited pair traveled back home to Tennessee.
Savannah took to social media to document their road trip, where fans got a glimpse of Todd after his prison release.
In a video clip posted on Instagram, Savannah asked her dad, "What are you trying to get me to do?"
"Feel that muscle," Todd replied, while holding out his arm.
"Todd is jacked," Savannah's best friend and hair stylist Tyler Bishop could be heard saying in the background.
"Just wait," Savannah replied.
While Savannah opted out of showing her dad's face, it was the first time fans had heard Todd's voice since before his prison stint.
Todd and Julie, along with their children Savannah, Chase and Grayson, rose to fame after their popular reality series "Chrisley Knows Best" debuted. The show premiered in 2014 on the USA Network and quickly gained popularity due to its mix of humor, family drama and Todd's bold persona.