Trump vows to pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley after 2022 fraud conviction

Chrisley Knows Best ran for 10 seasons on USA Network

US president Donald Trump has said he will hand pardons to Todd and Julie Chrisley, the reality TV personalities who were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022.

The couple, best known for Chrisley Knows Best, which ran for 10 seasons on NBCUniversal’s USA Network from 2014 to 2023, had initially been sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison, 12 for Todd Chrisley and seven for Julie Chrisley.

However, in a social media video from Trump’s special assistant and communications advisor Margo Martin, the US president is shown speaking with the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, telling her that both Todd and Julie Chrisley will receive pardons.

“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow. We’ll try getting it done tomorrow. I don’t know them but give them my regards,” said the US president, who later added that “they were given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I’m hearing.”

Savannah Chrisley, a social media influencer and reality personality who fronted the spin-off series Growing Up Chrisley, had claimed her parents are innocent and had been “persecuted by rogue prosecutors” in a speech at the Republican National Convention last year.

Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty in 2022 of wire fraud, conspiring to defraud the US and conspiring to commit bank fraud with the goal of obtaining more than US$36m in personal loans.

Chrisley Knows Best, produced by now-shuttered All3Media label Maverick Television, was a mainstay on USA Network for close to a decade.

The show followed property mogul Todd Chrisley and his family, although the latter seasons were affected by mounting legal troubles. Both the main show and the spin-off ended when the elder Chrisleys were sentenced to jail time.