Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley have had a lot to say about their previous incarceration.
The Chrisleys were both released on May 28, 2025, after they received pardons from President Donald Trump the day prior. The pair were originally sentenced to 19 years combined after they were found guilty of federal fraud charges and hiding their wealth from tax authorities. The pair each reported to prison in January 2023. They continue to maintain their innocence.
Since their release, the duo have been outspoken about what life behind bars was actually like.
Here is a look at what Todd and Julie Chrisley have said about spending 28 months in prison.
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Prison Is ‘Disgustingly Filthy’ and ‘Scary’
In a December 8 interview on Chris Cuomo’s CUOMO show, Todd described the conditions at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola as “disgustingly filthy.”
“The food is dated and it’s out of date by, at minimum, a year. It’s a year past expiration. And they’re literally starving these men to death here,” he explained. “These men are getting — I don’t know — they are getting 1,000 calories a day.”
“You’ve got rats, you’ve got squirrels in the storage facility where the food is,” Todd added. “They just covered it up with plastic and then tore the ceiling out because of all the black mold and found a dead cat in the ceiling, and it dropped down on the top of the food.”
Julie, who was held at the Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky, also had a “scary” experience in prison, she explained on the July 1 episode of her “Unlocked” podcast.
“I was [in] a satellite camp off of a federal medical center, which housed all custody levels,” Julie said. “So, there was the fence and the razor wire and the security there. Where I was in particular there wasn’t, but it was right next door to it.”
They Connected With Their Faith
During a press conference following his release, Todd joked he had a “BOP glow.” He then elaborated on how he passed the time in prison, which included deepening his Christian faith.
“I actually have more access to better products right now that I’m out,” he explained. “I had nothing to do other than to read and to work out. I worked out every morning at 10:45 until 12, with my buddies there, and I read, and my walk with Christ became deeper, and I talked to my daughter every day [and] to Chase to Greyson. I was able to email with Julie every day. … Maybe it’s all the residual botox that didn’t wear off.”
Reuniting Was Overwhelming
Todd and Julie were able to finally reconnect after two years apart when they were each released on May 28.
“It was overwhelming,” Todd said at the time. “Julie and I have been together for over 30 years. She is my best friend. We have raised our children together. We’ve had all the ups and downs. We’ve gone through breast cancer together and it was great to be home.”
Making Friends
During the July 1 episode of daughter Savannah’s “Unlocked” podcast, Todd revealed he made good friends while behind bars. When he arrived at his room on the first day, there was “all this stuff laying on my bed.”
“I had read that you [were] going to be taking nothing for free because then you got to give something up, and I’m too old to be fighting all these people off,” he continued, before he shared that he was given the items from a man named Jig.
Jig told Todd that he was told to take care of the reality star in prison. “I said, ‘Well, I can take care of myself.’ He said, ‘I don’t have no doubt. … But I still got to do what I got to do,’” Todd added. “From that point forward, Jig and I became best buddies.”
Julie also managed to make friends in prison. In the same podcast episode, she revealed the first woman she met told her she would “hate” life there.
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“I walked in the door and then I was just bombarded,” Julie said. “I walk in the door, there was someone there to show me where to go. I didn’t know at the time, but a girl got me to the room, got me a bed — a nice bed, actually — she ended up being my bunkie later on.”
She added, “It was very overwhelming because people kept coming in, and because I was new, and people knew who I was. It was really overwhelming for the first few days for me.”
Debunking a Misconception
During a September 2025 episode of the “Chrisley Confessions 2.0” podcast, Julie clarified that she “was not” at a medical facility, despite what people think.
“Lexington was a little bit different [in] their setup than other prisons. Lexington was not a standalone camp. Lexington, for women, is a satellite camp off of the men’s prison,” Julie explained. “The women’s camp is not a medical facility. It is a working camp.”
The ‘Stigma’ After Being Released
“We received a full unconditional pardon, but there’s still that stigma,” Julie said during a September 2025 episode of the podcast. “I’m a college-educated, smart woman, but what am I going to do? I have this still looming over me.”
Julie said that her prison sentence shouldn’t be “lingering” over her for the rest of her life.
“We turn people loose on the streets that have been incarcerated for, sometimes, years with very little rehabilitation, with no skills,” she continued. “Then, you come out into a world where you’re ostracized and where you’re told no every single time.”
An Emotional Departure
During a September 2025 episode of The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, Todd recalled his “brothers” in prison chanting his name upon his release.
“They were begging me not to forget them,” Todd said, getting emotional. “I will continue to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.”
