New Lives, New Lies? Inside the Chrisleys’ Controversial Return After Prison

As for Savannah, she had been walking into Sam’s Club with her 19-year-old brother Grayson on May 27 when she received the call from President Trump notifying them he was signing pardons for their parents.

“I was in such shock. I really didn’t know what to say,” the 27-year-old shared at the press conference. “I started crying. Grayson was with me, and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s happening!'”

Savannah then traveled to the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Fla. to pick up her father, who was released May 28.

“When he walked out, it was just such an overwhelming feeling because the last time I was there I was dropping him off and watching him walk away,” she added. “So I think watching him walk towards me, I was an absolute disaster. We left there, and it was amazing.”

They headed straight home to Nashville so Todd could reunite with his wife Julie, who was released from Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky that same day.

“They both just burst into tears,” their son Chase told Entertainment Tonight May 29 about the reunion. “My dad wrapped his arms around my mom, and I don’t think he’s let go—I don’t think he’ll ever let go.”

And they weren’t the only ones shedding happy tears.

“It was a beautiful moment,” Chase added. “I don’t think it really hit me until they were both home, and I got to see my mom and dad hug each other and embrace each other. We were all hugging each other and crying. It was just a beautiful moment and answered prayers, for sure. I cannot even describe it, the amount of joy that I felt.”

However, Todd admitted it took him a while to fully believe what had just happened.

“I woke up the first morning and I was looking around. I’m like, ‘This is really real. I’m home,'” he said at the press conference. “I was grateful for our family to be all back in the same room, to be together, to share a meal together, to pray together and to know that we’re still in the fight together.”

At this point, the public hadn’t seen Todd and Julie since their release—aside from in a few social media posts in which their faces had been shielded. However, Savannah had hinted her dad did look different—and was now “JACKED.”

“I call it the BOP glow,” Todd joked during the press conference. But in all serious, the reality star noted that, while he was in prison, he “had nothing other to do than to read and to work out. So I worked out every morning at 10:45 until 12 with my buddies there.”

And the results were on display May 29 when he and Savannah made a trip to Nordstrom to stock up on essentials and dodge the press.

“I don’t know why it’s that exciting to watch me buy underwear,” the 56-year-old said at the press conference. “I mean, it’s just not.”

Not wanting the paparazzi to get the first photo of him following his prison release, he and Savannah took matters into their own hands and posted a selfie on Instagram.

“To the paparazzi following us looking to pay your bills…” she captioned the image, “here’s your photo.”

As for Julie, she was also spotted for the first time running errands on May 29, with a photo obtained by Fox News Digital showing her gray roots had grown into her natural brunette tresses and replaced her previously blonde hair.

“My mother’s an angel,” Chase told ET. “She’s still a beautiful woman. Her hair is darker now. I’m like, ‘Mama, we gotta go back platinum blonde.’ And she’s like, ‘I’m not doing that.'”

Not immediately anyway, with a snap posted on Julie on social media June 8 showing the 52-year-old had gone back to blonde.

Aside from a few public appearances—in addition to Todd’s press conference, he crashed an episode of Savannah’s Unlocked podcast—what’s been best for the Chrisleys is enjoying time at home.

“I cooked dinner for my entire family,” Savannah said on the June 3 episode of her podcast. “I made steaks, pasta, salad, potatoes. We had a smorgasbord of things. My parents enjoyed it and loved it.”

They also celebrated Chase’s 29th birthday on June 1, with him noting on Instagram that having his parents home was the “Best birthday gift I could ask for.”

As for how Todd—who, in addition to being dad to Chase, Savannah and Grayson, welcomed daughter Lindsie, 35, and son Kyle, 33, with ex-wife Teresa Terry and adopted Kyle’s daughter Chloe, 12, in 2016 with Julie—is doing these days?

“Dad has not lost his sense of humor,” Savannah said on her podcast. “He is still as spunky as ever. I’m just so grateful that he is home, that mom’s home.”

And Julie hasn’t missed a beat, easily slipping into old routines.

“Mom’s been at home just doing laundry, organizing, spending time with Chloe, me,” Savannah—who got custody of Chloe and Grayson while their parents were in prison—added. “The first morning she was home we laid on my bed and just went through my Instagram and just caught her up on all the posts and videos and just everything that’s gone on since she’s left. It was really cool to see her reactions and catch her up on life.”

Fans will also be able to catch up with the Chrisleys when their new docuseries—currently referred to as The Untitled Chrisleys Project—debuts on Lifetime later this year.

“We are blessed to have our family back, and we’re blessed to be coming back to television,” Todd, who has continued to defend his and Julie’s innocence, said at the press conference, noting they picked up filming as soon as they got home. “Because we do have a much bigger story to tell now than we ever have.”

For now, keep reading to learn more about the Chrisley family.