[suspenseful music]
I don't have an apology to give you or anyone else
over the money that I've made.
JUJU CHANG: Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality stars--
TODD CHRISLEY: It's going to be Todd's way or the highway,
because at the end of the day, he who has the gold rules.
JUJU CHANG:--turned convicted criminals behind bars.
I was angry at God.
And I cried myself to sleep.
And I said, God, why are you allowing this--
JUJU CHANG: Now that they're free, the couple telling all,
from the first night in prison--
You don't realize how much your freedom means
to you until you don't have it.
JUJU CHANG:--to their emotional reunions.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: To see him running towards me--
I think that was just so surreal.
Did prison change you?
It has to change you.
If it didn't change you, then you're not human.
JUJU CHANG: The former stars of Chrisley Knows Best finally
home after their daughter Savannah's
successful mission to get them a controversial
presidential pardon--
Congratulate your parents.
And I hear they're terrific people.
So I just started crying.
And I said, yes, I'm getting out of here!
JUJU CHANG: Now dispelling rumors about how
they got that pardon--
Would I have slept with someone
to get one of my children home?
I'd have sold tickets to the show.
But my daughter didn't have to do that.
JUJU CHANG: The interview, the pressing questions--
We're talking serious charges--
bank fraud, wire fraud, tax evasion.
What they have to say about going
from the glamour of television to the stark reality
of life behind bars--
I could see my health deteriorating.
Your only fear that you had was from the staff
because they were the ones coming
in, tearing your room apart.
JUJU CHANG: Are they ready to face those who think
they should still be in prison?
I'm not oblivious to the fact that some people
don't agree with it.
JUJU CHANG: And their new obsession
as they step back into the glare of the white-hot spotlight--
What, if anything, do you think you did wrong?
[suspenseful music]
[upbeat music]
JULIE CHRISLEY: Hi.
JUJU CHANG: How are you?
I filled in on your show a couple of times.
TODD CHRISLEY: Oh, did you? MAN: Yes.
[laughter]
JUJU CHANG: You were such a help.
Thank you.
WOMAN: Feel free to place the cushions
so that you're comfortable.
MAN: Saddle up, baby.
[laughter]
How's it going?
How does it feel?
You don't realize the things that you took for granted
until you don't have it.
So your freedom, your ability to go to church,
your ability to go out to eat, you know,
to stay in your bed all day--
those things are taken from you.
So when you have them back, it's a blessing.
What are the big things and the little things
that you've missed, Julie?
My children and my husband.
You know, I missed birthdays and holidays
and graduations and things that I can never get back.
So now I just have to focus on what's ahead of us.
JUJU CHANG: It's been less than a month since Todd
and Julie Chrisley walked out of federal prison
after being convicted on 12 counts of wire fraud, bank
fraud, and tax evasion in 2022.
They were in the midst of serving
12 and seven-year sentences.
We are freaking out over here.
I have shed so many tears.
The president called me personally
as I was walking into Sam's Club and notified
me that he was signing paper--
pardon paperwork for both of my parents.
Your parents are going to be free and clean.
And I hope we can do it by tomorrow.
JUJU CHANG: Donald Trump surprised them
with a presidential pardon after their daughter's sustained
campaign to win their freedom.
What is your response, though, to people who say,
you know, you wear the MAGA hat, you speak at the RNC,
this is pure political favoritism they don't deserve?
JULIE CHRISLEY: For sure.
I get it.
I get how it could look that way.
But for me, I've also lost a lot along the way.
It's almost like a rebirth.
JUJU CHANG: Now the whole family is trying
to make up for lost time.
What was it like when you got word you're going to be free?
TODD CHRISLEY: You're elated over the fact.
And I had prayed for this moment.
You know, I had asked God to bring me back to my wife
and to my children and to reunite our family.
You know, it completely caught me off guard.
So I just started crying.
And so everyone was like, are you OK?
Is everything OK?
And I said, yes, I'm getting out of here.
A month ago, I was sitting in prison, dreading a summer
with no air conditioning.
And now here I am, home.
What was that like, to be finally reunited?
I was a little nervous just because, you
know, you think, oh my gosh, I've been away this long.
But then when I saw him, it was as if no time had passed.
And you know, for me, it's just weird
because she was never away from me, even the whole time
that we were apart.
She was with me every second, every breath that I took.
I mean, when I saw her, I was grateful to wrap
my arms around her.
But it was just more like, I'm home.
Describe the moment for me.
Were there tears?
Was it laughter?
What did it look like?
The cameras were there.
So I think that we've been trained to--
There were definitely tears and laughter and--
But a lot of that came after the cameras were not on.
[upbeat music]
JUJU CHANG: They're used to cameras rolling.
Their lives have been on display on reality
TV for more than a decade, alongside their children.
What was the first normal thing you did after coming out?
You know, I think us having dinner,
sitting down and having dinner and being together again-- you
know, we get to start over--
and acknowledging that and giving God the glory for that.
The first meal?
Pizza Hut.
Zaxby's.
The first night of sleeping in your own bed?
Heaven.
Yes.
First post-prison shower or bath?
- Without shower shoes-- - Without shoes.
- it was almost like your first sexual encounter.
[laughing]
JUJU CHANG: That good?
That good.
What was it like reuniting with Savannah?
I mean, I've seen that video.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: To see him running towards me
and to see the individuals, the correctional officers,
not grabbing him-- and, like, he was free.
So I think that was just so surreal.
JUJU CHANG: One of the most emotional parts
of their family reunion--
seeing their 12-year-old granddaughter who they adopted,
Chloe.
When you were reunited with Chloe
and your husband describes that she just did not
want to let you go, what was that moment
of reunion with her like?
You know, even though we had gotten to see each other
and Savannah was so good about bringing
Grayson and Chloe to see me, it's not
the same as when you're home.
On our way home, she was literally watching on her phone.
She was tracking where we were to know how close I was.
So I think it was just--
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: When I--
It was a special moment.
And when I was going to get Dad,
she was calling me literally every 10 minutes.
TODD CHRISLEY: Do you have him? - Do you have him yet?
Do you have him yet?
And then finally, we FaceTimed and I was like, I have him.
(WHISPERING) I'm back.
JUJU CHANG: One of Todd's first public outings--
a shopping trip to Nordstrom that went viral,
with paparazzi in hot pursuit.
I've had to get these poor people
here at the Nordstrom's to help me escape.
Hell, they should have been there 28 months ago.
We get into the Nordstrom, and I'm going about my business.
And I look up.
And here comes press with long-lens cameras,
running down the middle of the mall.
And I said, oh my god.
And I said to Savannah, just take the picture.
Just do the video and release it.
That'll stop them, make them leave us alone.
Well, it wasn't. So I said, OK.
Then you know what?
You're not getting the picture.
I'm wearing the bag over my head.
JUJU CHANG: Julie largely remained out of the public eye
after her release, besides this one picture captured by a Fox
News Digital journalist, Julie without her signature
blonde hair.
There was a very interesting photo of you as a brunette.
Yes.
So my daughter says, Mom, come with me to the butcher shop.
Nobody's going--
Well, I wanted to show her the butcher shop
that I've been going to.
She's like, nobody--
nobody's going to follow us.
Nobody's going to follow us.
OK, they did.
So that picture's there forever.
But that's OK. That's OK.
I'm home.
That's all that matters.
JUJU CHANG: The Chrisleys first rose to fame in 2014
with their hit reality show, Chrisley Knows Best.
Todd Chrisley made his money as a real estate
developer, the series giving a peek into his family's
lavish lifestyle.
This is my closet.
Things are organized by season.
Something that's not right here--
and this should not be here.
In a year, we probably spend $300,000, sometimes more,
just on clothing.
KELLEY CARTER: In 2014, when the Chrisleys came on the scene,
we were fully locked into the reality TV landscape.
We had the Kardashians.
And then we also had the Housewives.
And when the Chrisleys came around,
it was another chance to peek behind
the velvet rope, so to speak, and see
how the other half lives.
JUJU CHANG: The quirky Southern family includes
now 56-year-old Todd and 52-year-old
Julie and their children--
Chase, Savannah, and Grayson.
Todd also has two older kids from his first marriage, Lindsie
and Kyle, and of course, granddaughter Chloe,
who Todd and Julie adopted after Kyle had substance abuse
struggles.
Todd's no-nonsense parenting style--
the lifeblood of the show.
I'll make a deal with you.
You don't drop it like it's hot.
Oh, my god.
TODD CHRISLEY: And I won't drop it like it's hot.
KELLEY CARTER: People love to hate
reality TV show stars, period.
But I also think that people love to hate the Chrisleys, too.
But they watch the Chrisleys.
JUJU CHANG: Todd's unfiltered personality on full display
as cameras were rolling--
Todd? TODD CHRISLEY: Yes?
JULIE CHRISLEY: Come here, please.
So what do you think?
It's just me and you that's supposed
to be walking through the door, not me, you, and your camel toe.
KELLEY CARTER: Todd really Is this
larger-than-life personality.
And I think that's really why people gravitated
towards him in the first place.
You know, he is unafraid and unencumbered.
Like, he will literally say anything.
And that's the kind of personality that just works
so beautifully on reality TV.
JUJU CHANG: But it's the heated father-daughter face-offs,
the dueling personalities, that helped shape the family dynamic.
OK, you look not 17, by the way.
Now I'm more nervous about what my dad has up his sleeve
to embarrass me tonight.
Dear god.
Thank god for plastic surgery, too.
Savannah?
Yes?
I'm making sure that my future son-in-law eats well.
Oh my god, no!
Do not say that!
Oh my god.
JUJU CHANG: You delight in embarrassing her.
I like to see how she's going to perform under pressure.
And, I mean, it worked.
I mean, we're sitting here.
She worked well under pressure.
I just rewatched the thing where you get your hair cut.
Yes, right?
So dad was not happy about that one.
Is that a wig?
You don't like my hair?
I think it's so fun.
I mean, it's just so short.
What are you doing?
TODD CHRISLEY: Are you having a breakdown?
Why would you do something like that?
It was very liberating.
From the moment she was born, when they handed her to me
and I looked in her eyes, there was a soul tie there.
There was a connection.
And I never allowed her to be left out.
If the boys were doing something and she wanted to do it, go.
JUJU CHANG: That feisty spirit would come in handy
as her parents faced their biggest
challenge, leaving the comforts of home for federal lockup.
Todd, take us behind bars with you.
What was that first night like?
I was angry at God.
And when I went to bed that night, the lights went out.
I cried myself to sleep.
And I said, God, why are you allowing this?
In my dreams, God came to me and said that I've
planted you where I need you.
What was the dormitory like?
It was bad.
It was a former military base that the Bureau of Prisons
had not taken care of--
black mold, asbestos--
Lead-based paint.
- lead-based paint, air conditioning in and out all
the time, ice machines going out,
not being fixed, rotting food.
The windows were sealed shut.
The windows were screwed shut--
serving these men food that literally the labels,
some of the labels that were sent
to Savannah was nine years old.
Yeah.
So you know, when you look at that and you see that these men
are not getting medical treatment--
if something ever happens to me, y'all take
me to the local veterinarian because I
think I'll get better care.
Did either of you feel unsafe or threatened?
I never felt that.
No, I didn't feel unsafe or threatened by--
that someone was going to do harm to me.
I felt unsafe because of the conditions.
I developed asthma.
And I have horrible breathing issues
that I never had going in.
I was more concerned because my health--
I could see my health deteriorating.
And things that I had never had an issue with before now,
all of a sudden, became an issue.
And you talked about some of the skills
that you learned and took part in.
Well, I stayed busy.
I stayed busy.
I was determined to stay busy.
JUJU CHANG: Did you really drive a forklift?
I did.
I absolutely did.
I stayed busy every day.
I was going to keep my mind active, my body active
because I knew I was getting out at some point.
The more I could stay busy, the more
I had to think about what I was missing out on at home.
I stayed in a routine. I got up.
I showered.
I shaved.
I put on my clothes.
I went to the library.
I did my emails.
I called Savannah every morning.
And then I went and worked out.
And then I read a lot.
I read 116 books while I was gone.
I read a lot of Maya Angelou.
And that was very helpful.
That was very helpful.
And there was a lot of talk that you
got jacked during that time.
[laughter]
I'm certainly in better shape than I was when I went in.
This man couldn't even make it through a workout session--
I didn't want to.
- with me before he went in.
And now he's like, all right, let's go work out.
But it was my saving grace.
It was my sanity.
Your wife is driving forklifts.
And you're--
But she's always been different than me.
I mean, like, you put me in federal prison,
I'm not working for you.
I'm not giving you no free labor.
I'm not doing any of that.
I'm here to do time, not your chores.
JUJU CHANG: So how did the Chrisleys
end up in federal prison?
It goes back to 2019.
Two stars from reality TV could
face up to 30 years in prison.
Todd and Julie Chrisley are denying tax
evasion and bank fraud charges.
REPORTER: Todd and Julie Chrisley convicted in Atlanta.
JUJU CHANG: During Donald Trump's first presidency,
the Department of Justice indicted
Todd and Julie, along with their accountant, Peter Tarantino.
The charges-- bank and wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud
the IRS, and tax evasion.
Prosecutors argued that they created this illusion of wealth
on the show, but in reality, behind the scenes,
were fighting tooth and nail to avoid losing it all.
JUJU CHANG: In all, federal prosecutors
accused the Chrisleys of stealing more than $30 million
over the years in fraudulent loans from community banks.
Within that time, they also filed
for bankruptcy, the indictment calling them "career swindlers."
The whole brand was, hey, look how rich they are.
And suddenly, they're charged with bank fraud and tax evasion.
So certainly for fans of the show, it was a shock.
It was a big federal court case that we never got to see
play out on their series.
JUJU CHANG: The Chrisleys and Tarantino pleaded not guilty,
maintaining their innocence.
We stand in our faith.
And we stand in what we know is right.
The heart of the defense here was that they didn't even
know that this had happened.
They blamed their accountants, saying they're the ones who
filed these documents, they're the ones who were lying,
and they had no idea.
JUJU CHANG: Prosecutors say they inflated their net worth.
Banks loaned them millions, which they partly
spent on their luxurious lifestyle,
like maintenance on their pools or cosmetic procedures
for their kids.
TODD CHRISLEY: What is it supposed to do?
JUJU CHANG: Also, during the early years of the show,
the prosecutors say the Chrisleys failed to file
or pay taxes from 2013 to 2016.
Prosecutors presented a lot of documents
here to try to demonstrate that they had engaged in this fraud,
like false bank statements, audit statements, invoices.
So they used all of these together to try to show
this wasn't just a mistake.
This wasn't an error.
This was intentional.
JUJU CHANG: Their trial also centered
around Todd's former business associate, Mark Braddock,
seen here on Instagram.
Mark Braddock became one of the star witnesses in the case.
He was at the center of this.
And on the stand, he implicated Todd and Julie Chrisley.
JUJU CHANG: Braddock testified that he helped the Chrisleys
falsified documents and that his relationship with Todd
went far beyond business.
He says the two had been lovers.
Did it surprise you when he alleged
this relationship with you?
It did, because he's never-- he's never
said anything like that.
He's never approached me in that manner.
Well, if I was going to do that, it wouldn't be
with somebody that was broke.
It wouldn't be with somebody that looks like him.
JUJU CHANG: Prosecutors say perhaps some of the most damning
evidence used at trial were emails
and messages between the Chrisleys and their accountant.
In one message, Todd wrote about faking documents.
"If you do not know how to do this, then find
a crooked accountant to do it."
Todd says he didn't write those emails and points to Braddock
as the mastermind.
Mark Braddock, who ran the company,
had hacked into all of our emails.
So you're saying Mark Braddock--
He did send the emails.
JUJU CHANG:--sent the email under your name?
That's right.
And keep in mind he signed a blanket
immunity with the government.
JUJU CHANG: Braddock did not respond to a request for comment
from ABC News.
But at trial, he denied being the mastermind,
testifying that he did have passwords to some of Todd's
accounts, but not the one where many of those emails originated.
In the end, the jury convicted the Chrisleys
along with their accountant, Tarantino.
A judge sentenced them to prison and ordered the Chrisleys to pay
$17 million in restitution.
What, if anything, do you think you did wrong?
I trusted the wrong person.
What does redemption mean to you?
I don't really look at redemption
because I know that what we were convicted of we didn't do.
So I'm not trying to redeem anything.
I think that certainly, trying to prove what happened
and getting the truth out there and exposing
those that was involved in it is important to me.
JUJU CHANG: In the beginning of 2023,
the Chrisleys settled into prison life--
Todd in Florida, Julie in Kentucky.
With her parents behind bars, Savannah
became the legal guardian of her brother,
Grayson, and niece, Chloe, then just 16 and 10 years old.
I sat down with her last year as she took on this new role.
Was there ever any doubt that you
would raise Grayson and Chloe?
Mm-mm.
I think it was just an unspoken thing that we just knew.
What's life been like carrying on without them?
I mean, you've had to have holidays without them.
That was the hardest part-- was at Christmas,
asking the kids, like any other parent does, like,
what do you want for Christmas?
And they look at you and say, I don't want anything.
Like, I can't have what I want.
And you're like, got it.
JULIE CHRISLEY: I have to say, I was beyond proud.
That's probably what I'm the most proud
of, because they did not deserve to be left without a mom.
And she was able to step right in and not miss a beat.
And I just-- I can never thank her for that.
And the things that they were able to do and accomplish--
I just-- I couldn't have done it any better.
OK.
I'm going to play a little clip.
And then we can react afterwards, OK?
JUJU CHANG: What was it like for them to say goodbye?
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: It was tough just watching
them stand at their bedroom, just hugging
and kissing and not knowing.
And they left us all videos.
What was the message to you?
You can do this.
You shouldn't have to.
So proud of you.
I think my dad's exact words were,
you are what every father wants for a daughter.
JUJU CHANG: It's a lot that she covered in that little clip.
Yeah.
A child should not have to take care of their parents.
It's the parents' job to take care of the child.
But for whatever reason, God blessed
us with a child that is so unlike so many other kids out
here.
I said to her many times, you were built for this moment.
I hate it-- that it happened the way that it did
because her life was on hold.
Now, yes, they are her siblings.
But it's not her job to raise them.
In our house, we have kids over all the time.
JUJU CHANG: At 26, she was not only
a single parent, but the Chrisley
family's sole breadwinner.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: All right, y'all.
It's Savannah Chrisley.
She launched her own podcast, Unlocked,
and continued taking jobs on reality TV, from Special Forces
to The Masked Singer.
(SINGING) In the jungle, the mighty jungle.
TODD CHRISLEY: I missed The Masked Singer because I was
embarrassed for her, but I knew she was going to do that,
because she cannot sing.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Yes, that was awful.
- And-- - I watched it.
But I guess the beautiful part of that was--
is that she went and did that, and she
didn't care how bad she was.
The Chrisleys continued to fight on legally.
But last year, a federal appeals court upheld their convictions.
So Savannah turned her attention to Washington, DC,
even meeting with the president.
And last summer, Savannah, a longtime Trump supporter,
took the stage at the Republican National Convention.
I'll never forget what the prosecutor said in the most
heavily Democrat county in the state before
an Obama-appointed judge.
He called us "the Trumps of the South."
[booing]
Yeah.
Hey, it's fine.
He meant it as an insult. But let me tell you,
boy, do I wear it as a badge of honor.
So I started to see some traction from my RNC speech,
from other political events.
And that's when I kind of got my plan in place.
I would be in DC.
I would be in Florida.
I would be wherever I got invited
that there was a potential of meeting the right person.
JUJU CHANG: In late May, her campaign paid off.
President Trump called Savannah and told her he was
going to pardon her parents.
And congratulate your parents.
Congratulations, Savannah.
And Alice had a lot to do with this.
And just congratulate your parents.
And I hear they're terrific people.
This should not have happened.
So-- and you just--
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Thank you so much.
I am freaking out.
I'm still sweating.
We're getting some clothes together for mom and dad,
getting their room put together upstairs.
And I'm just speechless.
I can't thank you guys enough for sticking
with my family along the way and for loving us and supporting us.
JUJU CHANG: You said that people were accusing
you of all manner of things--
Yes.
JUJU CHANG:--sleeping your way to the pardon,
paying your way to the pardon.
How did you handle that kind of talk?
It was extremely challenging, and I think for reasons
that people would not expect.
What was challenging for me was the fact
that this talk came from women.
So we, as women, have the ability to build each other
up and tear each other down.
And I worked for 2 and 1/2 years.
I did not have a single political connection.
I went to DC.
I forced myself into rooms I was never invited into.
I educated myself.
So it did.
It took a lot away from all the hard work that I put into it.
Savannah was raised her entire life to empower women--
that she came from a strong mother,
a strong grandmother, and women that are hard workers.
And you don't ever talk about another woman.
You lift them up.
It was so disheartening, but not unexpected.
Would I have slept with someone to get one of my children home?
I'd have sold tickets to the show.
But my daughter didn't have to do that.
Yeah, I did-- most certainly did not.
Seeing her do what she did to get the pardon
for you, how proud are you?
I don't know that I have the words yet.
And I don't know that I ever will.
Is it unexpected for me?
No, because I know the daughter that I raised.
I know the warrior that she has become.
I look at her sometimes and I think,
wow, I did a really good job.
And then there's other days where I think, uh,
I may have done too good a job.
[laughter]
And mom may have had a little bit to do with that as well.
A lot.
You know, according to him, he gave birth to them
and has done everything. So I just--
I said I have five, and not one stretch mark.
[laughter]
Todd and Julie have paid some of the $17 million
in restitution they owed.
They say they will try now to get that money back.
DAN ABRAMS: They got really lucky.
A jury convicted them, and appeals
court upheld the conviction.
They can argue all they want that it didn't happen.
But a jury didn't buy it.
And an appeals court didn't buy it.
But Donald Trump did.
And they should be incredibly grateful.
There are some who feel that you were convicted
by a jury of your peers, that the appeal was not granted,
and that you didn't serve your time.
We were convicted by a jury of our peers.
Were we?
I didn't see multi-millionaires in that jury box.
I didn't see people that were in the film
industry in that jury box.
I saw people in a heavily Democratic county.
And a judge allowed them to paint us as these white family
who has white entitlement and who has money to burn.
Juju, we spend time on talking about,
what do you say to the people that don't believe
you should have gotten it?
Do they feel that same way about President Biden
when he did just blanket pardons before he
walked out of the office?
JUJU CHANG: President Joe Biden did grant
pardons before leaving office--
most controversially, for his son, Hunter.
And he preemptively pardoned other family members.
You can be critical of the pardon of Hunter Biden
and also say that the Chrisleys shouldn't
have been pardoned, either.
Each pardon has to be viewed on its own.
It is very difficult to justify this pardon
when you look at the facts, the evidence,
the legal history of this case.
JUJU CHANG: Did you ask Biden for a pardon?
No, we did not.
We had more pride than to ask Biden for a pardon.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: And at that point,
I had already been campaigning for President Trump.
So there was no way that he was going to do anything to help us.
I voted for Trump in 2016, would
have voted again had I had the voting rights,
which I now have again.
So I can assure you, the people that I dealt with
in prison, no matter what their political affiliation was--
if they were given a pardon, they would have
welcomed it with open arms.
Every Democrat in prison loves President
Trump if he's signing a pardon.
JUJU CHANG: The Chrisleys say their time behind bars
has left a lasting mark, largely thanks to the people
they met inside prison.
They stood in the lobby.
And they chanted and said, don't forget us.
And I'm not.
I will continue to fight for each and every one of them
and for their children and for their spouses and parents.
Because, as I said, if you can be in a camp,
you can be at home on home confinement.
I have met some amazing women.
I've met some women that I will--
I will be friends with till the day that I die.
JUJU CHANG: Prison reform has become
a family mission now, no one more passionate than Savannah.
I didn't realize how broken the system was.
I thought bad people go to prison, and that's what it was.
And that is so far from the truth
because now I see all the broken things in the system, where
individuals have to be rehabilitated, where we need
mental health treatment for these individuals,
as well as giving them job opportunities
and advocating for them when it comes to that.
Would you work with the other reality
star, Kim Kardashian, who is also a prison reform advocate?
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Hey, I never say never.
The fact that Kim has now gone to law school--
it's absolutely amazing.
And I believe that there's never too many people to get
together and implement change.
When I saw you take the stage at the RNC,
I thought, hmm, political career?
[laughter]
You know, I believe--
We cringe.
But we're kind of thinking, yes.
There's been some talk of a congressional run.
I don't know if that will or will not be the thing that I do
or if it's what I'm called to do.
But also, I believe right now, my goal
is to speak to younger voters.
JUJU CHANG: Now that the Chrisleys are reunited,
they're finding their new normal.
For Chloe, who's now 12, it's been
an especially tough few years.
JULIE CHRISLEY: Well, I said to Savannah--
I said, she's so good.
And Savannah said, Mom, she's not the same child that I've had
for the past 2 and 1/2 years.
TODD CHRISLEY: Because she was angry.
She was angry.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Chloe was-- and it was just--
I mean, what kid wouldn't be?
You know, Chloe has had a very difficult childhood
in certain ways with her biological parents,
and then my parents leaving her, the only parents
she's ever known.
And so she just-- anxiety, depression, just all the things.
And she's been in therapy and has
done such a good job at working through her emotions
and trying to express them.
JUJU CHANG: For Savannah, she says
she's navigating the transition from being a parent of two
back to a single young woman.
How do you hand that back over, right?
Easily.
She literally walked by Grayson the other day.
And she said, uh-- ask your mom and daddy.
They're home.
Well, they'll still text me and be like, hey,
can my friend come over, or can I go to my friend's this, that?
And I'm like, ask mom.
JUJU CHANG: Savannah had been in a relationship
with former football player Robert Shiver, who
made headlines in 2023 after his ex-wife was arrested for trying
to hire a hitman to kill him.
She pled not guilty.
The last time I saw you, you had a serious relationship.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Yes.
Not so much anymore?
No.
No, not so much.
But honestly, I believe that people come in your life right
when you need them.
And Robert and I are on great terms.
I'm going to get back to my everyday life.
And whether Robert's a part of that or not, who knows?
I'd like to say never say never.
So--
JUJU CHANG: It must be exciting, though,
to be able to return to the carefree life of a 28-year-old.
Yes, that's what I keep saying.
I'm like, I'm moving into a condo.
And they're like, don't you-- aren't you going
to miss the house, X, Y, and Z?
I said, no, no.
I've been to your house.
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: I'm not going to miss landscapers.
I'm not going to miss pool people.
I have learned that a house is not a priority to her.
No.
I was raising kids.
Maintenance is not a priority to her.
He comes in and is critiquing everything in the house.
And I'm like, you literally-- like,
I was fighting for y'all for 2 and 1/2 years and raising kids.
I think that the floors are fine.
[laughter]
JUJU CHANG: As for Julie and Todd,
they're setting their sights on a new Southern city.
Are you going to stay in Nashville?
You know, I think we will probably always
have a presence in Nashville.
But I have a pull for Julie and I to go back to South Carolina,
to Charleston, to that area.
And we have plans for what we want to do.
Can you share us the broad strokes of the plans?
We have hopes of acquiring a mansion there
that we're going to convert into a hotel.
And we're going to create a show around that.
JUJU CHANG: And once again, they'll be doing
it all with cameras rolling.
The family has a new show on Lifetime, which
began filming during Savannah's campaign
to win her parents' freedom.
The idea of, like, flaunting your wealth
is probably less of a priority.
We lived that way before the cameras started.
You know, we-- Julie and I both came
from very humble beginnings.
I worked every day.
Every day of my life, I've worked.
Julie has worked right beside me.
Why am I not allowed to have the benefit
of the fruits of our labor?
I don't have an apology to give you or anyone else
over the money that I've made.
JUJU CHANG: The Chrisleys' brand remains unapologetically lavish.
But the question is, will viewers welcome
them back into their homes?
JULIE CHRISLEY: There were people
that loved Chrisley Knows Best.
Then there are people that didn't.
You know, so I think you had to develop this thick skin
when you're in television.
I've always told my children that it doesn't matter what
someone else's opinion is of you unless it causes you to question
who you are at your core.
No one's opinion of me has ever caused me to question
who I am at the core.
So I don't worry about someone else's opinion.
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