Savannah Chrisley is revealing what her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, have been up to since leaving prison — and what’s next for the family.
Savannah, 27, detailed her “roller-coaster of emotions” over the last week during the Tuesday, June 3, episode of her “Unlocked” podcast, addressing Todd and Julie’s presidential pardons following their 2022 convictions for bank fraud and tax evasion.
“Mom and Dad are home, and I’m over-the-moon excited about all of it. It’s so surreal. At times, it does not feel real,” Savannah shared. “I’m like, ‘Are we sure this is over and done, and we came back to normal life?’”
During the podcast episode, Savannah opened up about the emotional moment she picked up her father from Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida on Wednesday, May 28, a day after President Donald Trump said he would issue pardons to both Todd, 56, and Julie, 52. (Julie was released from Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky on the same day as her husband.)
“It was a bittersweet moment. … When I pulled around that corner and I saw my dad walking out, all I could remember was watching him walk in and watching him walk away from me,” Savannah said. “And now, he was walking out and walking towards me, which I think is the most emotional thing I’ve ever gone through. I was just so blessed, honored and grateful that my dad was coming home. It was a once-in-a-lifetime [experience].”
Scroll down to read what Savannah said about her parents’ first days back home in Nashville, the family’s return to reality TV and her plans to continue advocating for people in the prison system:
Todd and Julie’s 1st Days After PrisonSavannah recorded her podcast on Friday, May 30, the same day she and her father appeared at a press conference to address Todd and Julie’s pardons.
“Yesterday was really fun,” Savannah noted. “I cooked dinner for my entire family. I made steaks, pastas, salads, potatoes — we had a smorgasbord. My parents enjoyed it and loved it.”
As well as a family dinner, Savannah spoke about taking her dad to the department store Nordstrom to pick up an outfit for him to wear during Friday’s press conference. It was there that she posted the first pictures of Todd after leaving prison.
“We thought we were in the clear, but no, the press followed us and were chasing us around,” she said. “It was comical. That’s why I put that photo of me and Dad out there. I was like, ‘I’m not going to let them get the first picture. No, not happening.’”
“We had fun with that whole journey. Dad has not lost his sense of humor. He’s still as funky as ever,” Savannah added.
Savannah also shared what Julie’s first 48 hours out of prison were like. “Mom’s been at home, doing laundry, spending time with [adopted daughter] Chloe [and] me. The first morning she was home, we lay on my bed and just went through my Instagram and I just caught her up on all the posts and videos and everything that’s gone on since she left,” Savannah said. “It was really cool to see her reactions and catch her up on life.”
During Friday’s press conference, Todd confirmed that he had already begun filming scenes for the family’s new Lifetime reality show after cameras picked up again following last week’s breaking news.
The new series was initially going to focus on Savannah and her siblings’ efforts to free their parents from prison and had already wrapped production when news of Todd and Julie’s presidential pardons broke.
“It’s going to be absolutely amazing because it follows us from beginning, middle to end,” Savannah teased. “It started with us explaining the case and having lawyers on, and the advocacy work, to [now] Mom and Dad getting full presidential pardons.”
“I’m so excited that they’re home, they’re going to be part of it, and we get our new start at life,” Savannah added of the as-yet-untitled show.
After working to free her parents from prison, Savannah said she will remain invested in criminal justice reform.
Upon picking her father up from FPC Pensacola last week, the podcaster said she saw other prisoners “waving and cheering” her father’s release.
“Watching those men cheer and wave reminded me why I do what I do,” she said. “I didn’t just do it for my parents; I’m doing it for these men and women as well. I refuse to leave them behind. I’m going to continue to fight day in and day out for these men and women.”
Savannah continued, “I do believe a lot of these individuals deserve second chances and just as my parents have gotten a second chance at life, I’m going to make sure these men and women have as well.”
“I do want to address the accusations that this presidential pardon only happened because I bought it or I slept with someone,” Savannah said near the end of Tuesday’s podcast episode. “Both claims are laughable. I wish you could see my bank account, number one. And number two, I’m not sleeping with someone for a pardon — or two. I’m not doing it. I have more self-respect than to do those things.”
“I can’t wait for what’s to come. I can’t wait for trips and family moments and to make up for lost time. It’s obviously going to take us a little while to get back to normal life. I’m just excited,” Savannah said.
In the immediate future, Savannah noted that her parents will join her on an episode of her “Unlocked” podcast in June to talk about their prison experiences and their freedom. Todd and Julie are also set to relaunch their own podcast, “Chrisley Confessions,” which ended upon the start of their prison sentences in January 2023.
