While describing the wait for dad Todd Chrisley‘s release from prison, Savannah Chrisley made a surprising comparison to the late Princess Diana.
“My plan of attack was to go and stand in front of the press and give the press conference that they wanted,” Savannah, 27, recalled on the Tuesday, June 3, episode of her “Unlocked” podcast about the day she picked up Todd, 56, from his detention center. “I also [wanted to] state that I hope that the Bureau of Prisons and FPC Pensacola would abide by [President Donald] Trump‘s order that he signed, which was for them to be immediately released.”
Savannah noted that standing outside of Todd’s prison made for an interesting experience.
“People were handing me their babies. Their kids were coming up to me. I was holding hands and holding babies, which people got photos of,” she said. “When I looked back at it, I was like, ‘Oh, this felt like such a Princess Diana moment to me.’ Of just loving on people and them loving on me as well.”
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Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were indicted in 2019 on charges of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud and conspiracy. After being found guilty in 2022, Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Julie, 52, received a seven-year sentence. The couple maintained their innocence and continued to appeal their sentences, which were reduced in September 2023 by nearly two years.
Todd and Julie were released on Wednesday, May 28, after Trump, 78, pardoned the former reality TV stars.
“My parents have not spoken to each other, heard each other’s voices or seen each other in the past two and a half years,” Savannah told reporters outside the Pensacola, Florida, prison where Todd had been incarcerated since 2022. “Their 29th wedding anniversary was May 25, so we’re only a few days out from that. So when they reunite, we’re going to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases, all the things, because we’re going to make up for lost time.”
During a joint press conference with Savannah, which was held in Nashville on Friday, May 30, Todd broke his silence about his release.
“[Savannah] has fought a long fight and for any parent to see their child fight this hard, it’s a double edged sword. It’s a blessing and then your heart breaks because your child has been placed in that position,” he said, revealing that Julie was at home with the couple’s 12-year-old adopted daughter, Chloe. “Even though this pardon has happened, I still was convicted of something that I did not do. It could be you. It could be any of you.”
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Savannah, meanwhile, fired back about the backlash to her parents’ pardons. She specifically called out rumors that she “either paid for a pardon or slept for a pardon” for Todd and Julie.
“If people knew the countless hours and the money and the time that I spent going to D.C., literally without a meeting scheduled,” she explained. “And I just got on a plane and went and said I’m gonna be in the right room at the right time and meet the right people. I fought hard and I was exhausted and I begged for meetings.”
Savannah continued: “People think, ‘Oh, you’re a celebrity, you have money,’ that we got an upper hand and we didn’t. I had to fight and I was relentless and that’s how it happened. Finally, people listened. So for me, that would be something that people just don’t quite understand.”
