Married reality TV stars Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley are being pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Trump, who came to prominence nationwide through his NBC reality TV competition “The Apprentice,” which premiered in 2004, said he did not know the Chrisleys, but had decided to pardon them.
He relayed the message to Todd and Julie’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, in a phone call that was filmed and posted to social media by Trump’s communications adviser, Margo Martin (see video below).
“Trump Knows Best!” Martin beamed in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
This was a reference to the Chrisleys’ former show, “Chrisley Knows Best,” which aired on the USA Network from 2014 to 2023.
The Georgia reality stars had been convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022.
Todd, 56, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 16 months of probation and Julie, 52, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 16 months of probation. They reported to federal prisons in Florida and Kentucky in 2023.
Per an NBC report, prosecutors called the couple “career swindlers" for their actions, which included successfully applying for $30 million in fraudulent loans then declaring bankruptcy and starring in the reality show while hiding their TV earnings from the government.
“Your parents are gonna be free and clean and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told Savannah Chrisley, 27.
“I don’t know them but give them my regards and wish them a good life,” said the president, whose “you’re fired!” catchphrase caught on in the early 2000s as “The Apprentice” drew a large audience on network TV.
Savannah, a Trump supporter, formerly appeared in “Chrisley Knows Best” with her parents and family and starred with her brother Chase Chrisley in the spinoff series “Growing Up Chrisley,” which premiered in 2019 and ended in 2022.
“I hear they’re terrific people ... this should not have happened, so ...” Trump, 78, said of her parents later in the call.
The president gladly received glowing praise on the call from Savannah’s brother Grayson Chrisley, 19, a student at the University of Alabama, where he had given a speech. Savannah said Grayson had been kicked out of a class for defending Trump.
Stories by Amy Kuperinsky
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.
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