Trump Pardons Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley

On May 27, 2025 President Trump granted full pardons to Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality show 'Chrisley Knows Best,' who had been serving 12- and 7-year federal sentences respectively after a 2022 jury conviction for conspiring to defraud banks of more than $30 million and for tax evasion. The couple was released from prison the same day the pardons were announced.

The pardons followed sustained public lobbying by the couple's daughter, Savannah Chrisley, a vocal Trump supporter and RNC speaker who had repeatedly raised the case at conservative political events. The White House framed the clemency as correcting an excessive sentence.

The decision extended a pattern in Trump's pardon record of favoring celebrities and politically connected figures over the ordinary clemency review process historically run by the Justice Department. Critics say the pardons reflect proximity and loyalty rather than a neutral assessment of rehabilitation, while supporters see them as deserved relief from a harsh sentence.