Todd Chrisley Spotted at Prison Camp Again… What’s Really Going On?
Reality TV star Todd Chrisley back at prison camp in Pensacola, but not as inmate
Todd Chrisley – media personality, entrepreneur and former inmate of Federal Prison Camp Pensacola at Naval Air Station Saufley Field − was back at the prison camp on Aug. 14, this time as an invited guest.
Chrisley spoke at the final Residential Drug Abuse Program Graduation Ceremony at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola (FPC Pensacola) at the invitation of the director of the bureau of prisons.
The News Journal caught up with Chrisley on Thursday afternoon just outside the guarded gate at NAS Saufley Field, when he stopped to speak with the media on his way in to speak to the graduates.
Chrisley served just over two years at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola before being released following a pardon from President Donald Trump last May.
Chrisley said he worked on his speech to the graduates for about a month and he intended for it to be uplifting.
“I wanted to instill hope in these men, my friends, and, but I also want it to be very revealing,” Chrisley said. “I want to give them the credit for the sacrifices that they’ve made to go through this program because this program is not an easy program.”
The federal government says the camp is closing due to safety concerns over staffing shortages and crumbling infrastructure. In fact, the U.S. Navy is expected to demolish the buildings used at FPC Pensacola once the camp is closed.
He supports the program but is glad to see this camp closed.
“We had a hand in it, but I like to say that God closed it,” Chrisley said. “I think that more will come. We as a country incarcerate more individuals, our own people, than anywhere else in the world. Yet we have the highest recidivism rate of anywhere else in the world. So that should tell you there, just by looking at numbers that what we’re doing is not right. It’s not working.”
Chrisley and his wife, Julie, were convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. In 2023, Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Julie was sentenced to seven years before being released.
They rose to fame on the USA Network series Chrisley Knows Best, where Todd became known as the family patriarch with flamboyant taste and sharp wit. The couple’s “helicopter” parenting style was another signature part of the show.
Todd and his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, who has a podcast, now advocate for prison reform, drawing from their personal experiences with the justice system and incarceration.
“Without Savannah, Julie and I would not be here to have this interview,” Chrisley said. “I say every day that I thank God for God. I thank God for him being in our life and for instilling faith in us to where we eliminated fear, and I thank President Trump, and I thank my daughter who was tireless and who never gave up. But now the hard work starts for the men that I left behind, for the women that my wife left behind.”
Chrisley is highlighting issues like unfair treatment, lack of programming for certain inmates, and the need for improved prison conditions.
He is encouraging others to reach out to him about issues they see in the prison system because he believes being the voice of incarcerated individuals is a calling he feels compelled to answer regardless of how popular the message is.
“It is something that I’m passionate about,” Chrisley said. “I think that you go through life, and you struggle to find out where you’re fitting in and you find your space. Television was my space and still is, but my true mission in life is now the incarcerated individuals of this country because they have a voice. So, if it’s repeated to me, then I’m going to tell it to the masses whether they want to hear it or not.”
While he missed out on seeing the sights in Pensacola the last time he was here as an inmate, this time around Chrisley said he did get a chance to briefly see beautiful Pensacola Beach and he enjoyed lunch at another iconic Pensacola spot.
“My time in Pensacola (before) was not a great experience, but what I’ve seen today, the people have been lovely,” Chrisley said. “We rode by the beach and ate lunch at McGuire’s. The people at McGuire’s are lovely, so I’m sure that’s a lovely, lovely place.”
The Chrisleys are working on a new show for Lifetime that will feature their experiences, including their first meeting after prison and their plans for a hotel in South Carolina.
