NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pardoned reality TV star Todd Chrisley said Friday that the experience of being in prison has changed him, vowing to not forget the men he met and befriended there and to work to make their lives better.
“You can’t go through what we’ve been through and walk away from it,” he said at a news conference in a Nashville, Tennessee, hotel two days after his release. “As bad as this experience has been, there’s also been a lot of blessings to come from it. I have met some wonderful men. I have listened to some horrific stories about things that have gone on in our system.”
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Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Savannah Chrisley, daughter of reality television star Todd Chrisley, waits for the release of her father at the Federal Prison Camp, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Pensacola, Fla. (AP Photo/Dan Anderson)
Savannah Chrisley, daughter of reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks as his daughter Savannah Chrisley looks on during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Convicted on fraud and tax charges, the “Chrisley Knows Best" star maintained his innocence, saying he and his wife Julie were victims of a corrupt prosecution. He said they will detail the proof of the wrongful conviction in an upcoming television show.
“We’re blessed to have our family back, and we’re blessed to be coming back to television because we have a much bigger story to tell now than we ever have," he said.
Addressing whether his family’s fame and connections helped him and his wife get a pardon from President Donald Trump, Chrisley said, “It’s not something you can look at and say that had nothing to do with it. I don’t know if it did or it didn’t.”
His daughter Savannah Chrisley, also speaking at the news conference, was adamant that it was her hard work that won the day. She has been a staunch Trump supporter and endorsed his candidacy while also speaking about her parents in a speech at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Todd Chrisley described the experience of watching his daughter's work from a distance as being “consumed with pride while at the same time knowing that this is a longshot, because so many people are told, ‘No.’”
He said he recognized that the conditions at the minimum-security prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, where he was held were relatively good, and that even there the privileges were not evenly distributed.
"It's important to understand that I was at a camp," he said. He was able to work out every day, walk a track, email his wife and talk to his children.
"Being in the prison system, anyone that says that it’s a fair shake — it’s not. Because I dealt with young African American males in the prison that I was in that were not treated the same. They were denied programing. They were denied access to certain things. I was not denied that. But we know why I was not denied that,” he said.
Chrisley said his time in prison deepened his “walk with Christ” in addition to opening his eyes to many problems in the prison system.
“God has said when you know better you do better," he said. "And it’s our job at this point to expose all of that and to try to make those men and women’s lives better if we can.”
“Chrisley Knows Best” ran from 2014 to 2023, chronicling the extravagant exploits of the boisterous, tightly knit family of the couple and their five children, from high-end cars to luxury vacations and stunning mansions. It was recorded in the Atlanta area at first and then in Nashville. In 2019, the show spawned the spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley,” which featured the couple’s children Chase and Savannah living in Los Angeles.
The Chrisleys were indicted in 2019 under a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney and found guilty by an Atlanta jury in 2022. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld their convictions last year. Until this Wednesday, they still had years left on their sentences: Julie Chrisley was expected to be released in 2028, and Todd Chrisley in 2032.
In addition to their prison sentences, the couple had been ordered to pay $14 million in restitution that they will no longer owe, attorney Alex Little told reporters Friday. He said the government had seized some money from the Chrisleys but he believes it was less than $100,000 and that it was unclear whether any of that would be returned.
Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Savannah Chrisley, daughter of reality television star Todd Chrisley, waits for the release of her father at the Federal Prison Camp, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Pensacola, Fla. (AP Photo/Dan Anderson)
Savannah Chrisley, daughter of reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks as his daughter Savannah Chrisley looks on during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Reality television star Todd Chrisley speaks during a news conference on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
HOUSTON (AP) — The playoff-bound Houston Texans got their starters some rest on Sunday and the backups helped them get another win.
C.J. Stroud accounted for two touchdowns before sitting down at halftime and Ka’imi Fairbairn made a go-ahead field goal with 12 seconds left to lift the Texans to a 38-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts that extended their winning streak to nine games.
The victory gives the Texans (12-5) the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs and they will visit the Steelers next week.
Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai scooped up a fumble on the final play and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to pad the lead.
The Texans clinched a third straight postseason berth last week and they had a chance to win the AFC South with a victory and a Jacksonville loss. But with the Jaguars up big over the Titans at halftime, coach DeMeco Ryans opted to rest quarterback Stroud, defensive stars Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley and several other starters after the break.
Houston is the fifth team since 1990 to open a season 0-3 and reach the playoffs and the first team to do it twice after the 2018 Texans also achieved the feat.
“Our guys were able to accomplish a lot of great things,” Ryans said. “No matter how dim it looked to start the season, I’m proud our guys for continue to battle every single week and finding a way to win games. Now we finish on a high note to win against a really good team.”
Stingley said the mindset that got them where they are now was a simple one.
“We treated every game like it was a playoff game,” he said. “So that’s how we went on our streak.”
The Colts led 30-29 after a field goal with about 2 1/2 minutes to go before Fairbairn's 43-yard kick put the Texans on top 32-30 and gave him a career-high six field goals in the game.
“We can’t be where we are right now without (Fairbairn) and what he’s been doing,” Ryans said.
Rookie Riley Leonard had 270 yards passing with two TDs and he ran for another score. But he also lost a fumble and threw an interception in his first NFL start after the 44-year-old Philip Rivers started the past three games for the Colts after coming out of retirement.
“I learned that he can definitely play in this league for a long time,” coach Shane Steichen said of Leonard. “To go out and do it against the top defense like he did was pretty impressive. He’s a competitor.”
It’s the seventh straight loss for the Colts (8-9), who were eliminated from postseason contention with Houston’s win last week.
“It was frustrating,” Steichen said. “The last half of this season, for sure. That’s what it’s been — not finding ways to finish. We’ve got to work tirelessly on getting that fixed.”
Stroud had an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and added a 2-yard run in the period to put the Texans up 20-10.
The Texans trailed 27-26 early in the fourth when Alijah Huzzie picked off Leonard to give them great field position. They failed to move the ball and settled for a 44-yard field goal to take a 29-27 lead.
Jonathan Taylor had 14 carries for just 26 yards to end the season with 1,585 yards and finish second in the NFL in yards rushing behind Buffalo's James Cook.
Alec Pierce had four receptions for a season-high 132 yards with two touchdowns before being ejected late in the third quarter for making contact with an official. He was ejected when he brushed an official with his arm as he was complaining about a flag not being thrown on a pass intended for him in the end zone. He was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and disqualified.
He said he tried to apologize to the official.
“I just wanted to let him know I wasn’t trying to put hands on him or anything,” he said. “It was no malicious act.”
The Colts took a 24-23 lead on a 1-yard TD scamper by Leonard on Indy’s first drive of the second half. That score was set up by a 53-yard reception by Pierce.
Houston went back on top with a 43-yard field goal later in the third.
After the penalty on Pierce, the Colts settled for a 39-yard field goal that put them up 27-26.
Houston took a 13-10 lead when Stroud threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins with about 9 ½ minutes left in the first half.
About a minute later, Danielle Hunter sacked Leonard and caused a fumble which Henry To’oTo’o recovered on the 2-yard line. Stroud ran for the score on the next play to make it 20-10.
Pierce’s second touchdown came on an 8-yard grab that capped a 92-yard drive and cut the lead to 20-17 with about 90 seconds until halftime.
Fairbairn’s 29-yard field goal extended the lead to 23-17 at halftime.
Leonard connected with Pierce on a 66-yard touchdown pass to put the Colts up 7-3 early in the first.
Fairbairn’s second field goal of the game cut the lead to 7-6 later in the first.
A 50-yard field goal by Blake Grupe pushed Indy’s lead to 10-6 near the end of the quarter.
Houston RB Jawhar Jordan injured his ankle in the second quarter and didn’t return.
The Texans will hit the road to meet the Steelers on Jan. 12 in a wild-card playoff game.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) dives in an attempt to make a first down against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Texans place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, left, celebrates after a field goal against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Texans place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (15) kicks a field goal against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, left, celebrates his touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts with head coach Demeco Ryans, right, during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
