Todd Chrisley Felt 'Numb' Learning He Was Pardoned: 'All I Could Think About Were the Guys I Was Leaving Behind'

Published: May 30, 2025

Todd Chrisley stepped out at a press conference in Nashville on Friday, May 30, after being released from prison two days prior. Savannah Chrisley joined her father as they addressed his release and President Donald Trump's presidential pardon of him and his wife, Julie Chrisley.

Todd and Julie had been incarcerated since January 2023 after being found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud until President Donald Trump issued them full pardons on May 27.

"I had a staff member that came to me and said, 'You've just been pardoned,'" Todd recalled of the moment he found out he would be going home. "And I just looked at him, and he says, 'No, really, you've been pardoned. It's in the news.'"

Todd, who was joined by his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, and attorneys Alex Little and Zack Lawson, said he immediately called Savannah, who confirmed that it was true.

"I remember walking back from the phone and just feeling numb, not really knowing," he continued. "And then after about 10 minutes, all I could think about were the guys that I was leaving behind, because I had made such wonderful relationships with those men. And when I left that day, they —there was only 317 men at our camp — but they were lined up shouting when I was walking out. They were saying, 'Don't leave. Don't forget us. Don't forget us.' And my commitment is to them that I will never forget them."

Moving forward, Todd revealed that cameras have been following the family since their release, and he intends to be open about his experience with the justice system as he maintains his innocence.

"Even though this pardon has happened, I still was convicted of something that I did not do," he said. "It could be you, it could be you, it could be any of you, and somewhere in this room, someone has had a family member that has been affected by the system. So I understand the shame that's around it, but I refuse to feed into that, because shame is like a cancer that just spreads, and I have no shame."