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- Alice Marie Johnson, a criminal justice reform advocate, offered advice for Todd and Julie Chrisley following their release from prison
- Johnson also addressed whether the Chrisley Knows Best stars were pardoned due to their celebrity status
- Todd and Julie were released from their separate federal prisons on Wednesday, May 28, following a full pardon from President Donald Trump
Alice Marie Johnson, a criminal justice reform advocate, is sharing some advice for Todd and Julie Chrisley following their release from prison.
Johnson, who stood beside President Donald Trump when he called the Chrisley children to inform them he was giving their parents a full pardon on Tuesday, May 27, told NewsNation Live on Thursday, May 29, she would advise the Chrisleys to “soak in their freedom and their family time.”
“I know that they’re anxious to get out here and start fighting for these people who they left behind, too,” she said. “But don’t forget about your family time. Let your freedom just soak in.”
Johnson, who herself was pardoned by President Trump, 78, in 2020, said she envisions the Chrisley Knows Best couple as “a force to be reckoned with in the criminal justice reform space” moving forward.
“Now, once you experience prison, your life is never the same,” she said. “So I’m expecting great things from them. But I would just say, enjoy your family for a moment.”
Johnson also addressed whether or not she believes the Chrisleys were pardoned because they were celebrities, saying that in her opinion they had their biggest advocate — daughter Savannah Chrisley — to thank most of all.
“I’m going to say that if they did not have a daughter like Savannah who was out there fighting for them, they would not have been pardoned,” she said. “The celebrity part really didn’t play a role in this. This is a young woman whose parents were gone.”
Todd and Julie were both released from separate federal prisons on Wednesday, May 28, following their pardon from President Trump.
Savannah shared a photo on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, May 29, of her parents reuniting for the first time in two years. “Reunited and it feels so good!” she captioned the snap.
Todd and Julie were indicted in April 2019 and found guilty in 2022, reporting to prison in January 2023 to serve their combined 19-year sentence, which was later reduced. They have been appealing their case ever since.
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PEOPLE exclusively announced earlier this month that the Chrisleys — minus Todd and Julie, who were expected to still be behind bars — were getting an all-new docuseries at Lifetime.
With Todd and Julie now out of prison, a source with knowledge of the production told PEOPLE that “the show is still filming and will continue to, though the family’s situation is evolving rapidly.”
The source added, “No one knew this pardon would happen and the goal is to cover their lives in real time, but things have significantly changed for them all and everyone in the family, as well as producers, are trying to figure it out and tell their authentic story.”
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