Julie Chrisley Debuts New Look After Controversial Trump Pardon
According to the report by Julie Chrisley, 52 - who was freed alongside
husband Todd on Wednesday - looked unrecognizable as she sported brown and gray
locks while leaving a butcher shop in Nashville in her first few hours as a
free woman on Thursday.
The former Chrisley Knows
Best star, who was known for her coiffed blonde do, grinned in the image first
obtained by Fox News Digital.
She was later pictured finally reuniting with husband Todd in an Instagram snap
shared by daughter Savannah.
Julie Chrisley and Todd, 56, who starred in Chrisley Knows Best and
several spin-offs, were found guilty of defrauding banks out of $30 million in
2022.
Julie Chrisley had been
serving her seven-year prison sentence in Kentucky, while Todd, 56, was serving his
12-year sentence in Florida.
Early Wednesday evening,
Todd was released from Federal Prison Camp Pensacola while Julie was set free
from FMC Lexington, according to Fox5.
The pair's elated daughter
Savannah, 27, spoke to the press outside his Florida prison
after campaigning for years for their release.
While dressed in bright pink 'MAGA Barbie' attire, she lauded President
Trump, who personally called her on Tuesday to inform her of his decision to
give her parents 'a full, unconditional pardon.'
After a nearly three-week
jury trial, Todd and Julie were convicted in June 2022 of
conspiring to defraud banks in the Atlanta, Georgia area
out of more than $30 million in personal loans by submitting false documents.
They were also found guilty of wire fraud and tax evasion, obscuring
their earnings while showcasing a luxurious lifestyle with expensive cars and
designer clothes.
Wearing a hot pink MAGA hat, Savannah said she is 'so grateful that
I'm going to leave here with my dad' after an 'insane' three years of her
trying to get him and Julie freed.
She confirmed that her brother Grayson Chrisley would be the one picking
up their mother from her Kentucky prison facility.
'President Trump signed the pardons at around 3pm this afternoon and
it's all due to President Trump, Alice Johnson, Ed Martin, all of them,' she
told the crowd.
'They have truly just shown up and looked at [Todd and Julie's] case
with a fine-tooth comb and they've seen the corruption.'
After her call with Trump, Savannah said she arrived at her dad's prison
in Pensacola at 2 in the morning on Wednesday and has been waiting there
since.
'I have not gone to sleep. I did not bring any clothes with me. I did not
bring a toothbrush with me. I brought absolutely nothing with me,' she revealed
with a laugh.
'I'm just a daughter that wants to take my dad home with me.'
When asked what Todd and Julie's reactions were to Trump's pardon,
Savannah said that he was initially in total disbelief.
'They didn't believe it. [The pardon] literally came out of nowhere. As
I said before, I was walking into the grocery store when I got the call from
the president,' she explained.
'I was just in such shock and such awe that the president himself called
me and took the time to let me know that my family's coming back together.'
Savannah said that her and Trump's entire correspondence was captured
'on video' and that he had called to let her know that he was 'reuniting [her]
family.'
She also said that Trump and her younger brother Grayson Chrisley, 19,
spoke briefly 'about the University of Alabama where President Trump just gave
the commencement speech.'
Grayson is currently a sophomore at the university located
in Tuscaloosa.
'So, it was absolutely amazing. It truly was just a human to human
interaction and yes, he is our president but he's also a person with a heart
and who loves people well,' Savannah gushed.
'Over the last 24 hours, I've gotten so much love and so much hate. And
I've had people say, 'Hmmm, I wonder what she had to do to get this pardon?' I
didn't have to do anything.
'I didn't have to do anything other than stand firm in my beliefs and my
convictions and fight for my parents and fight for what was right.'
Savannah went on to declare that President Trump has given all of the
American people 'hope and a brighter future' since stepping into office — not
just her family.
'People like to say [Trump's] for the wealthy, for people who have
campaigned for him [but] he has truly given everyone a chance at a better life
and for that I will forever be grateful.'
Savannah confirmed that
her and her family, including Todd and Julie, will soon be returning to TV with a new
reality show.
'We have a new show coming out on Lifetime and it will document all of
these things and we're excited.'
According to TMZ, production
has already started on the Chrisley's new show and a camera crew followed both
Savannah and Grayson as they traveled to pick up their parents from prison.
The couple's shock release, according to production sources, is set to
be a major storyline on the show and that Todd and Julie's respective releases
were captured on camera.
However, the sources claimed that Trump's unexpected phone call to
Savannah on Tuesday was not captured by Lifetimes' camera crew.
The original plan for the family's new show was to feature cameos from
Todd and Julia via prison phone calls while much of the storyline would center
on how Savannah and her older brother Chase Chrisley are holding down the
family while their parents are locked away.
Savannah concluded Wednesday's press conference by shouting out both
'God and President Trump' again for bringing her family back together.
Hours later, Savannah shared a photo of herself outside her dad's prison
to Instagram with a lengthy caption about 'fighting for her family.'
'This is from the press conference outside my father's prison today…
That smile on my face? I haven't seen it in years. It's the smile of a daughter
who refused to give up. A woman who cried in silence, broke down in court
bathrooms, and kept showing up even when the world told her to sit down,' the
star penned to her 2.9million followers.
She continued: Behind that smile is exhaustion. Trauma. A million
sleepless nights. But also… fire. Conviction. Faith.
'I'm the product of a pissed off daughter and a relentless woman. And
trust me when I say…there is nothing more dangerous than a woman fighting for
her family.'
Savannah offered more thanks to President Trump and his administration
while commending herself for keeping her 'promise' to her parents to 'bring
them home.'
'I stood by my parents and vowed that I would get them home… I kept that
promise. By the grace of God, the courage of President Trump, the compassion of
Alice Johnson, the integrity of Ed Martin, and the strength of the Trump
administration—we did the impossible,' she wrote.
'This fight was never just about us. It's about every family torn apart
by injustice. Every parent, every child, every person who's been silenced or
shattered by a system that too often forgets the humanity behind the headlines.
'Let this be your reminder: Keep fighting. Cry if you need to. Break
down if you must. But don't you dare stop believing. Your voice matters. Your
story matters. And when women rise, mountains move.'
To conclude her post, Savannah teased that 'we're just getting started.'
She included the hashtags '#Freedom #JusticeForAll #Pardoned #Trump2025
#FaithOverFear.'
Later, she uploaded a brief video to her Instagram Story revealing that
she had thrown up on the ride back home to Nashville with dad Todd.
Todd could be heard laughing in the background as his daughter held a
plastic bag under her chin.
'Guys I puked the whole way,' said Savannah, while still wearing her
pink MAGA cap.
While Savannah didn't pan the camera to show him, Todd continued to
laugh offscreen as he remarked he could 'smell' her vomit.
After Savannah told him to just 'spray perfume' in the car,
Todd quipped: 'I didn't have to deal with this in prison!'
White House aide Margo Martin revealed the pardon on Tuesday by posting
video of the president on the phone with Savannah, captioning the post: 'Trump
Knows Best!' a play on the couple's breakout reality TV show title.
While pushing for a pardon for her parents over the last two and a half
years, Savannah has become a fixture in MAGAworld.
She attended the 2024 Republican National Convention and the 2024
Conservative Political Action Conference - both events where Trump was the headliner
and aides and allies were everywhere.
She appeared on the sidelines of last month's White House
Correspondents' Dinner.
The effort paid off when Savannah received the call from the Oval Office
on Tuesday.
'That's a terrible thing, that's a terrible thing,' Trump told Savannah
over the phone. 'But it's a great thing because your parents are going to be
free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow, is that OK?'
Julie was supposed to serve time at the Federal Medical Center in
Lexington, Kentucky until January 2028.
Todd's prison sentence kept him locked away at FPC Pensacola until April
2032, according to the Palm Beach Post.
'I don't know them, but them give my regards,' Trump also said. 'Wish
them a good life.'
Savannah can be heard on the phone thanking the president and telling
him her brother Grayson was on the line too.
Grayson piped up, 'Mr. President, I just want to say thank you for
bringing my parents back.'
'Yeah, well, they were given a pretty harsh treatment from what I'm
hearing,' Trump said.
Savannah revealed more details about her call with Trump while appearing
on NewsNation's On Balance with Leland Vittert on Tuesday.
She said that Trump told her how he believed her parents were 'treated
unfairly' and that he 'wanted to give them a full pardon.'
'He was like, you know, 'You guys don't look like terrorists to me.' His
exact words, which was pretty funny,' she added.
Savannah first reacted to the pardon news via Instagram on Tuesday in a
lengthy clip after a video snippet of their call was shared by White House
aide Margo Martin.
'President Trump didn't just commute their sentences, he gave them a
full, unconditional pardon. So for that I am forever grateful. Thank you,
President Trump,' she told fans.
Savannah then vowed to 'stand next to [Trump] and [his] administration
and to stand up to the corruption and to continue fighting for the men and
women that are in prison.
'I will repay your kindness to every person that I meet, so thank God
for a president like Donald J. Trump,' she said.
The Chrisleys' attorney, Alex Little, said Trump's pardon 'corrects a
deep injustice and restores two devoted parents to their family and community'.
'President Trump recognized what we've argued from the beginning: Todd
and Julie were targeted because of their conservative values and high profile,'
Little said in a statement.
'Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and
political bias.'
Little's statement added: 'Todd and Julie's case is exactly why the
pardon power exists. Thanks to President Trump, the Chrisley family can now
begin healing and rebuilding their lives.'
However, the couple's shock pardon was met with intense backlash online,
with many proclaiming there is 'no justice anymore.'
On Reddit, one simply wrote: 'What a world this is?'
'You can scam millions, evade taxes, and still walk free, just smile for
the cameras and wait for a pardon,' another said.
Echoing a similar sentiment, a third added: 'There is no justice
anymore.'
'It's great that they defrauded a bank out of millions of dollars and
lied on their taxes and now they will have no consequences!' another continued.
'Reality TV grifters have to stick together!' joked a sixth.
Another asked: 'How do Republicans/MAGA justify this and sleep at night
knowing they are supporting the pardoning of fraudsters?'
Fellow reality television star Joe Exotic was also among those who were
angered by the pardon.
Joe is currently serving a 21-year sentence at FMC Forth Worth Federal
Medical Center in Texas for conspiracy to commit murder-for hire.
He has been fighting for a pardon for the past five years.
He shared a screenshot of a PEOPLE article announcing the Chrisleys'
pardon on Tuesday with the caption: 'This officially shows the Justice system
is still two sided. You are either rich and connected or your poor and being
trafficked by the system.'
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, he said: 'I have never been more
disappointed in my life that President Trump is pardoning all of these people
that have actually committed crimes and yet he leaves me here.'
He added: 'I sit here innocent with two forms of cancer and can't get
his attention.'
However, Joe publicly congratulated the Chrisley family on Wednesday as
he left a comment on Savannah's latest Instagram post.
'Congratulations. Hope I am next. But we have to expose the inside of
here,' he wrote.
Along with Todd and Julie Chrisley, Trump also used his pardoning power
on several other individuals this week.
On Wednesday, former New York City congressman Michael Grimm had his
2014 tax fraud conviction forgiven.
Grimm, who represented Staten Island, served seven months in jail and
carried out 200 hours of community service for the offense.
He won reelection in 2014 despite being under indictment for
underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran. However, he resigned
the following year after pleading guilty.
Grimm, who notoriously threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony
during the 2014 State of the Union, was previously accused of having sex in the
bathroom of a bar after spending more than 15 minutes locked away with a female
friend.
Last year he was paralyzed from the chest down when he was thrown off a
horse during a polo tournament.
Former NYC Council Member, Vincent Ignizio, started a GoFundMe for
Grimm, asking for $2.5million in donations to pay for treatment to help him
'walk again.'
The president also pardoned a labor union leader who pleaded guilty to
failing to report gifts from an advertising firm.
James Callahan, of Lindenhurst, New York, was general president of the
International Union of Operating Engineers when he accepted - but failed to
properly report - receiving at least $315,000 in tickets to sporting events and
concerts and other amenities from a company that the union used to place ads.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes was scheduled to sentence Callahan on
Wednesday. On Tuesday, however, Callahan's attorneys notified the court of
Trump's 'full and unconditional' pardon and asked for the sentencing hearing to
be vacated.
Earlier this month, prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of six
months for Callahan, calling him 'one of the most powerful union leaders in the
country.'
They said Callahan's salary and other compensation topped $500,000
annually. Now retired and living in Florida, he has a net worth of more than $5
million, according to prosecutors.
Meanwhile, ex-Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover has had his sentence
commuted.
Hoover has been serving multiple life sentences for murder and running a
criminal enterprise.
He made his first court appearance in decades in September in an effort
to win early release, reported the Chicago Tribune.
Hoover was already serving a 200-year state sentence for the murder of a
rival when he was indicted in federal court in 1995.
He was charged with continuing to oversee his murderous drug gang from
prison and was convicted in 1997 then sentencing to life in prison.
Trump also said Wednesday that he's considering pardons for the men who
plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
'I'm going to look at it. I will take a look at it. It's been brought to
my attention,' he said in the Oval Office on Wednesday. 'I did watch the trial.
It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I'll be honest with you.'
'It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. You know,
they were drinking, and I think they said stupid things,' he added.
Trump claimed there was bipartisan support for the pardon.
'A lot of people are asking me that question from both sides actually,'
he said. 'A lot of people think they got railroaded. A lot of people think they
got railroaded.'
In 2020, during Trump's first term, federal prosecutors charged six
people with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer.
On Monday, Trump pardoned a former Virginia sheriff who was to serve
time for a cash-for-badges scheme.
The sheriff, Scott Jenkins, had been a Trump supporter, visiting the
White House during the president's first term and was utilized as a surrogate
in Virginia on the campaign trail.
'This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice,
and doesn't deserve to spend a single day in jail,' Trump posted to Truth
Social Monday afternoon.
Late last month, Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, who pointed out that his
mother had raised millions for the Trump campaigns on his pardon application.
Walczak pleaded guilty of tax crimes days before the 2024 election and
filed a pardon application shortly after inauguration.
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