Chrisleys on return to reality TV with new hotel, prison reform & life after Trump pardon
Todd and Julie Chrisley, breaking their silence on their tough prison conditions, push for prison reform and life after lockup, after receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. This comes just over a month after Donald Trump granted the ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars their freedom from a 12-year sentence over bank fraud, tax evasion, and wire fraud.
RELATED: How Todd and Julie Chrisley found out Trump pardoned their 12-year prison sentence
“We’re coming back to television,” Todd confirms on the June 28 episode of 'My View with Lara Trump.' “I think that we’re heading back home. We’re heading back to South Carolina, where we came from. We’re going to open a hotel there and create a show around it.”
In one of their first interviews since being released from federal prison, Todd and Julie reveal what life was like behind bars after 28 months apart.
"You don't realize how much your freedom means to you until you don't have it," Todd told ABC News in their “IMPACT x Nightline: The Chrisleys: Life After Lockup” special, which is streaming on Hulu.
“I could see my health deteriorating,” Julie told the outlet after admitting she developed health issues, including asthma after being in her facility in Kentucky.
Todd reported issues of black mold and asbestos while in federal prison in Florida.
However, the Federal Bureau of Prisons responded to the Chrisley’s claims of “filthy” prison conditions, stating they operate "facilities that are safe, secure, and humane."
RELATED: Todd Chrisley’s emotional reunion with Savannah right after prison release: New Video
Now, Todd and Julie are making it their mission to give back and help with prison reform.
“I call them my prison sons, the young boys, young men that came in there. I stay in touch with the ones before I left, and I’ve now got onto the visitors list of the ones that I left behind because those kids deserve a second chance.”
“Let them come home, let them get on a job, let them pay taxes,” Todd continued.
Julie reiterated her husband’s sentiments, “I’m not walking away. That’s my pledge that I made to them and to myself,” Julie said.
In their first joint sit-down post-prison, the reality TV stars described their long-awaited reunion – filmed in front of a camera crew – and in Julie’s words, it was “surreal.”
“I was a little nervous,” Julie, 52, told Lara Trump in an interview. “Just because, you know, you think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve been away this long.’ But then, when I saw him, it was as if no time had passed.”
Todd, 56, added, “I was never away from her because she was in my spirit the entire time. I thought of her every second of my day. So, when I hugged her the first time, it was like I was home.”
As for the couple’s first meal after being released from prison? None other than comfort food from Pizza Hut and Zaxby’s. According to Todd, nothing could beat the first post-prison shower once he returned home; both agreed it was extra special without having to wear shower shoes.
"It was almost like your first sexual encounter," Todd joked.
But the couple recalls one of the most emotional reunions being with their 12-year-old daughter Chloe.
“You know, even though we had gotten to see each other [during visitations], it’s not the same as when you’re home,” Julie said with tears in her eyes.
She continued, “On our way home, she was literally watching on her phone — she was tracking where we were — to know how close I was. So I think it was just — it was a special moment.”
Before the ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars return to television, they are planning to enjoy quality time as a family of seven. Todd has five children: Lindsie and Kyle Chrisley, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Teresa Terry, and Chase, Savannah, and Grayson Chrisley, whom he shares with his wife and costar, Julie.
