Todd Chrisley Shares Emotional Toll of Rebuilding His Life.
“Life Is Rougher Than Prison”: Todd and Julie Chrisley Open Up About Their Post-Release Struggles
After receiving a full pardon from President Trump, the Chrisley Knows Best stars reveal the emotional toll of life beyond bars
Todd and Julie Chrisley are speaking candidly about their unexpected post-prison reality — and it’s not the freedom they anticipated.
In the July 23 episode of their podcast Chrisley Confessions 2.0, the couple revealed that re-entering the real world after nearly 28 months in federal prison has been “harder than prison itself” in many ways.
“Rougher Than Prison”: The Emotional Shock of Freedom
Julie, 52, reflected on conversations with fellow former inmates who share the same unsettling feeling.
“We all have this general consensus that — it’s kind of weird to even say it…” she began.
Todd, 56, didn’t hesitate to finish the thought:
“Life is rougher than prison life. I mean, that’s a sad thing to say because it is so horrific, the conditions that you’re there for. But from an emotional and psychological standpoint, it is harder dealing with day to day.”
Why Freedom Feels Overwhelming
While imprisoned, Julie said, inmates adapt by focusing solely on their immediate surroundings.
“There’s very little you can do because you’re in prison,” she explained. “People told me this when I first got there — you can’t live out there and in here at the same time because it’ll literally run you crazy.”
As the months passed, the couple became emotionally distanced from the outside world — even from their children Savannah, Grayson, Chase, and Chloe.
“It doesn’t mean you don’t love them or miss them,” Julie said. “But I had to take care of me. That’s all I could do — mentally, physically, spiritually.”
Back to Reality, All at Once
After being pardoned by President Donald Trump in May, the Chrisleys were released without needing to go to a halfway house or report to probation.
“We were thrown right back into the real world,” Julie said. “That in itself is a blessing — but it’s also a shock.”
Todd expressed gratitude for the former President’s pardon, saying:
“We didn’t have to go through the system’s slow re-entry. But emotionally, it’s not easier.”
A Legal Saga Comes to a Close
The couple was initially convicted in 2022 on 12 counts of tax evasion, wire fraud, and conspiracy. Todd and Julie were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison, later reduced by two years each in September 2023. After a long appeals process, they were fully pardoned in 2025.
Julie’s conviction was originally challenged for insufficient evidence, but a judge ultimately ruled her sentence would stand — until the presidential pardon changed everything.
Now free, the Chrisleys are navigating a life that, while unrestricted legally, comes with its own mental burdens.
“We’re free, but healing takes time,” Todd admitted. “This next chapter might be the hardest of all.”
