Todd Chrisley is no stranger to controversy, but even by his standards, the fallout following his presidential pardon has sparked a new and deeply personal chapter

in the Chrisley Knows Best saga. Months after walking out of prison alongside his wife, Julie Chrisley, Todd is now addressing the wave of criticism that

erupted online—not over the pardon itself, he insists, but over who signed it. In a candid interview that quickly reignited public debate, Todd pushed back against detractors

who have accused the Chrisleys of benefiting from political favoritism. According to him, the outrage has little to do with justice or the legal merits of their case and everything to do with the name attached to their release papers.

“You have people saying on social media that they used to love us, but now that Trump pardoned us, suddenly they don’t,” Todd said. “Their issue isn’t that we were pardoned. It’s who pardoned us.”

A Pardon That Reopened Old Wounds

Todd and Julie Chrisley were both convicted on federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion and sentenced to a combined 19 years behind bars. After serving approximately two and a half years in prison, the couple was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in May 2025—a decision that immediately polarized public opinion.

For supporters, the pardon represented mercy and a second chance. For critics, it symbolized everything they distrust about politics and celebrity justice. Todd, however, maintains that the backlash is largely performative and disconnected from the reality of their experience.

“If those same people were in our situation, and President Trump could have pardoned them,” Todd argued, “they would have stood in line to get that pardon.”

It’s a blunt statement, but one that underscores Todd’s refusal to apologize for accepting freedom—especially after years of insisting on his and Julie’s innocence.

Online Outrage vs. Real Life

Despite the storm online, Todd claims the hostility hasn’t followed him into the real world. According to him, there has been no noticeable backlash in everyday life—no confrontations at grocery stores, no cold shoulders from neighbors in Nashville. The anger, he says, lives almost entirely on social media.

“I try to ignore it,” Todd admitted. “But if it’s directed at me—if you knock on my door with it—then I’ve got something waiting for you.”

That line, delivered with classic Chrisley bravado, reflects the tension between Todd’s desire to move forward and his instinct to defend himself and his family fiercely. While he says he strives not to offend or provoke, he makes it clear he will not remain silent when challenged.

Stepping Away from Politics

Perhaps surprisingly, Todd insists he wants to distance himself from political discourse altogether. After years of having his family’s legal battles scrutinized through partisan lenses, he says he’s exhausted by the politicization of every move he makes.

“I don’t want my conversations to be political,” he explained. “I don’t want my life to be politicized.”

Instead, Todd emphasizes continuity. According to him, prison and pardon have not altered the core of who the Chrisleys are.

“Our value system is still intact,” he said. “We’re the same family today. We love people, and our love is not conditional—based on who you vote for, how you live, or what you believe.”

Todd painted a picture of a household where political differences coexist peacefully, describing family dinners where opposing viewpoints sit side by side. To him, that coexistence is not just possible—it’s essential.

Politics as a “Football Team”

In one of his most talked-about analogies, Todd compared political loyalty to rooting for a sports team. You may passionately support one side, he suggested, but that doesn’t require hatred or cruelty toward the other.

“You can say you hate this president or that one,” Todd said. “That’s like rooting for a football team.”

Drawing from his own family, he joked about supporting Clemson University while his son attends the University of Alabama—proof that loyalty doesn’t have to destroy relationships.

“Just do it with respect,” Todd urged. “With kindness. With generosity. If we could get there as a society, the world would be a much better place.”

A Humbling Homecoming

Beyond politics, Todd has repeatedly described his release from prison as a profoundly humbling experience. Simple freedoms—coming home, driving a car, sitting down for a family dinner—carry a weight they never had before.

“We were able to come home to our home,” he said. “So many people don’t have that.”

Todd reflected on how incarceration exposed the Chrisleys to families and communities they may never have encountered otherwise. The experience, he believes, reshaped his understanding of gratitude and privilege.

“I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “Not for one second.”

Redemption in the Spotlight

That sense of redemption was on full display when Todd and Julie made a surprise appearance together on FOX’s The Masked Singer. For viewers, it was a shocking yet symbolic moment: the once-disgraced reality stars standing center stage again, not as defendants or headlines, but as entertainers.

“For me, it was about giving all the glory to God,” Todd shared afterward. “I knew that only through God’s grace was this happening.”

In typical Todd fashion, he added humor to the moment, joking that God “took a coffee break” when Julie began singing—an offhand comment that reminded fans why the Chrisleys built their brand on wit and self-awareness.

Julie’s Full-Circle Moment

For Julie Chrisley, the experience carried even deeper meaning. She revealed that she once watched The Masked Singer from prison, never imagining she would one day stand on that very stage.

“It was a full-circle moment,” Julie said. “We went through something horrible, but we came out the other side.”

Her words echoed a theme that now defines the Chrisleys’ post-prison narrative: survival, resilience, and ownership of their story.

Owning the Narrative

Julie has been clear that she and Todd have no intention of hiding from their past. Scandal, she says, is part of their story—and they refuse to let others define it for them.

“We’ve never shied away from what we’ve been through,” she said. “This is our story. And who better to tell it than us?”

That philosophy is at the heart of their return to television. Just months after their release, the couple resumed reality TV with a new series, The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, signaling both a comeback and a reckoning.

A Family Still Standing

Whether critics accept Todd’s explanation or not, one truth is undeniable: the Chrisleys are moving forward—together, unapologetic, and determined to reclaim their place in the public eye. To Todd, the debate over who pardoned them misses the point entirely.

For him, the real story isn’t politics. It’s redemption, gratitude, and the unshakeable belief that their family endured the worst—and survived.