Julie Chrisley’s UNRECOGNIZABLE transformation after prison release leaves fans STUNNED — What happened behind the scenes that changed everything?

Julie Chrisley is turning heads for all the wrong reasons—and this time, it’s not about court dates or TV ratings. Fresh out of prison, the former reality star has debuted a shocking new look that’s left even her most loyal fans asking, “Is that really her?” Gone is the polished Southern matriarch viewers remember, replaced by a figure whose dramatic shift is sparking wild speculation. Was it intentional reinvention… or something deeper? What was life really like behind those walls?

Don’t miss the story everyone’s whispering about—click to uncover the truth behind Julie’s transformation.

Julie Chrisley is making some changes after regaining her freedom.

One day after her release from prison, the Chrisley Knows Best star stepped out in Nashville, Tenn., sporting a drastically different look from before she began serving her sentence in 2023.

During a trip to a local butcher shop May 29, the matriarch’s signature blonde locks were long gone as she debuted a shoulder-length brunette hairstyle with gray roots, as seen in a photo obtained by Fox News Digital. She donned a beige top as she smiled on her way out of the store.

Julie, 52, as well as her husband Todd Chrisley, 56, were granted a full pardon by President Donald Trump May 27 after serving over two years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion. She was subsequently released from a federal prison in Lexington, Ky., May 28, while Todd was released from custody in Pensacola, Fla., the same day.

Prior to the pardon being issued, the couple—who wed in 1996—were set to remain behind bars for several years. Julie was scheduled for release in January 2028, while Todd’s incarceration was due to continue through April 2032.

In the wake of Trump’s clemency, Todd and Julie’s children have expressed their gratitude for the move, with their daughter Savannah Chrisley remarking that her parents “get to start their lives over.”

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“I still don’t believe it’s real,” the 27-year-old said in an Instagram video May 27. “I’m freaking out.”

Her brother Chase Chrisley, 28, later shared that he was “grateful to God and extremely grateful to President Trump” for the pardon.

“I’m beyond thankful to finally have my parents back home,” he said in a statement to E! News, “and my family together again!”

Meanwhile, Todd’s estranged kids Lindsie Chrisley and Kyle Chrisley, whom he shares with ex-wife Teresa Terry, have also reacted to the development. While Lindsie, 35, shared a brief, uplifting social media message, Kyle, 33, described feeling “ecstatic” about his dad’s release and was hopeful for a fresh start.

“I know they can’t wait to get home and just be with family,” he exclusively told E! News, “and I’m going to remain hopeful that another reconciliation is possible.”

For more on Julie and Todd’s legal case, keep reading.

 

(Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)

Indicted on Tax Evasion and Other Charges

Todd and Julie Chrisley were indicted on 12 counts by a federal grand jury in Atlanta in August 2019 on charges included wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to a document obtained by NBC News. Prosecutors claimed fraud began in the mid-aughts—inclusive of evading nearly $2 million in state taxes between 2008 and 2016 and hiding over $1 million dollars from the IRS.

The day before the indictment was issued, Todd maintained he and his wife were innocent, and instead said a trusted employee had been stealing from and blackmailing the couple.

“We have nothing to hide and have done nothing to be ashamed of,” he wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “Not only do we know we’ve done nothing wrong, but we’ve got a ton of hard evidence and bunch of corroborating witnesses that proves it.”

(Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for E3 Chophouse Nashville)

Todd and Julie Found Guilty

It wasn’t until three years later that the Chrisley Knows Best stars went to trial. Following three weeks of testimonies, the pair, who had pleaded not guilty, were convicted on all counts of tax evasion and bank fraud on June 7, 2022.

The U.S. attorney’s office had alleged the duo and their accountant Peter Tarantino—who stood trial with them—conspired to defraud banks out of more than $30 million over the course of a decade.

“As today’s outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a June 2022 statement. “In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay.”

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Sentenced to Multiple Years in Prison

Five months later, the Northern District of Georgia sentenced Todd to 12 years behind bars and Julie to seven years. (Peter was sentenced to three years in prison.)

“Over the course of a decade, the defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars while evading payment of their federal income taxes,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a November 2022 statement. “Their lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme and should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for unlawful personal gain.”

However, Julie and Todd’s respective sentences were shortened in September 2023—with Julie scheduled to be released a year and three months earlier, and Todd two years earlier than his originally scheduled 2035 release.

“Without a doubt, Todd and Julie are model incarcerated individuals who received exorbitant sentences,” Jay Surgent, the pair’s attorney, told Insider in September 2023. “I believe Todd is down to 10 years and Julie is now at five years.”

 

(Photo by: Andrew Eccles/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Starting Their Sentences

 

The couple started their respective prison sentences in January 2023, with Todd serving his time at Federal Correctional Institution (FPI) Pensacola in Florida and Julie at a different federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky.

(Photo by: Julie Holder/NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

No Contact

Six months after Julie and Todd reported to their respective prisons, their daughter Savannah Chrisley shared insight into how the duo were doing, revealing that her parents did not have contact during their time behind bars.

“195 days without a word to each other…” she wrote in an August 2023 Instagram story. “My heart is breaking…Please help to bring justice!”

She also pushed back at rumors about their time in prison.

“It’s hilarious because one of them was like, ‘Oh, he’s let himself go,’” she said on her Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley podcast. “First off, news flash, they don’t sell hair color in commissary. So of course his hair is gray! But, you know what, I would tell him today, if he was out, keep it that way. Like, it looks good! He’s got a great prison barber.”

 

(Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

Todd Details Filthy Prison Conditions

However, Todd spoke out from behind bars about the mistreatment he faced at the federal prison camp in Pensacola, Fla.

“The food is dated,” he said in a phone interview on a December 2023 episode of Cuomo. “It’s a year past expiration.”

“You’ve got rats, you’ve got squirrels in the storage facility where the food is,” he continued. “They just covered it up with plastic and then tore the ceiling out because of all the black mold and found a dead cat in the ceiling, and it dropped down on the top of the food.”

Beyond the horrors in the cafeteria, he alleged that someone also attempted to extort his family members.

“There was a photograph taken of me while I was sleeping and sent to my daughter,” he noted, “asking for $2,600 dollars a month for my protection.”

(Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Savannah Chrisley Speaks Out

Savannah, who has custody of younger siblings Grayson and Chloe amid her parents’ sentences, has explained how their convictions and their lack of contact with one another has weighed on her.

“The last time they spoke was the morning they went into federal prison,” she shared with E! News March 2024, alleging that there’s “a lot of retaliation going on against my father for how outspoken we’ve been about conditions.”

In fact, she alleged that prison officials had been “blocking a lot of his emails correspondence to my mom.”

And while not wanting to make the experience about herself, she admitted that it was overwhelming at times.

“What’s tough for me is how Mom and Dad have that feeling that life is just continuing to move on without them,” Savannah explained on her podcast Unlocked in April 2024. “In a way, I have that feeling with people in my life because it’s like they just continue on living their lives.”

“I’m still sitting here struggling to catch my breath,” she continued. “Whether it’s financially with the kids, trying to parent, me in a relationship.”

(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Julie’s Prison Sentence Overturned

Julie’s seven-year prison sentence was overturned June 2024 following a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Although the panel upheld her convictions, the court ruled the judge in the 2022 trial miscalculated the reality star’s sentence.

“The district court did not identify the evidence it relied on to hold Julie accountable for losses incurred before 2007, and we cannot independently find it in the record,” the judges stated in their ruling. “So we vacate Julie’s sentence and remand solely for the district court to make the factual findings and calculations necessary to determine loss, restitution, and forfeiture as to Julie and to resentence her accordingly.”

Her case was handed to a lower court to determine how her sentencing would be adjusted while Todd’s sentencing remained unaffected.

(Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

A Tearful Apology

Three months after her prison sentence was overturned, an Atlanta court ultimately upheld Julie’s previous seven-year prison sentence. And she made a tearful apology—both to her children and the court.

“I would like to say I’ve had years to think about what I’ve wanted to say and I’m sorry for my actions and situations that let us to where we are today,” Julie said before the court, per People, during the Sept. 25 hearing. “I’ve had 20 months in prison, but it has been much more leading up to the trial and I apologize for my actions that led to where we are today,”

“I have done everything I can do to get closer to my family. I’ve taken tests for new skills, such as driving a forklift and serving food in proper ways,” she continued, “this has been the most difficult part of my life. I can’t ever repay my children for what they’ve had to go through and for that, I am so sorry,” she added.

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President Donald Trump Pardons the Chrisleys

The Chrisleys are heading home. They received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, he told Savannah in a phone call May 27, 2025.

“For the past two and a half years, I’ve done everything in my power to fight for my parents’ freedom and bring them home,” Savannah said in a statement to E! News. “This moment is the answer to countless prayers, and I am beyond grateful to President Trump for seeing the truth and restoring my family.”

They were both released on May 28, 2025.