Alice Marie Johnson Shares Advice for Chrisleys After Release: 'Once You Experience Prison, Your Life Is Never the Same'

Published: May 29, 2025

Alice Marie Johnson, a criminal justice reform advocate, has shared some valuable advice for Todd and Julie Chrisley following their release from prison.

Johnson, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020, told NewsNation Live that she would advise the Chrisleys to "soak in their freedom and their family time."

"I know that they're anxious to get out here and start fighting for these people who they left behind, too," she said. "But don't forget about your family time. Let your freedom just soak in."

Johnson, who stood beside President Trump when he called the Chrisley children to inform them he was giving their parents a full pardon, envisions the Chrisley Knows Best couple as "a force to be reckoned with in the criminal justice reform space" moving forward.

"Now, once you experience prison, your life is never the same," she said. "So I'm expecting great things from them. But I would just say, enjoy your family for a moment."

Johnson also addressed whether or not she believes the Chrisleys were pardoned because they were celebrities, saying that in her opinion they had their biggest advocate — daughter Savannah Chrisley — to thank most of all.

"I'm going to say that if they did not have a daughter like Savannah who was out there fighting for them, they would not have been pardoned," she said. "The celebrity part really didn't play a role in this. This is a young woman whose parents were gone."

Todd and Julie were released from separate federal prisons on Wednesday, May 28, following their pardon from President Trump.

Savannah shared a photo on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, May 29, of her parents reuniting for the first time in two years. "Reunited and it feels so good!" she captioned.

Read more about Todd and Julie Chrisley's release from prison here.

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