On the Wednesday, May 28, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host Jimmy Kimmel gave his two cents about President Donald Trump‘s decision to fully pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley. In his opening monologue, he savagely roasted both Trump and the Chrisleys.
“It’s a rare day of forgiveness in America,” Kimmel began. “We say a lot about the president, some of it isn’t flattering. Some of it is critical, I’ll admit that. But it isn’t fair to only focus on the negative. We should focus on the positive, too, and today President Trump showed that he isn’t just a dishonest, divisive, money-grubbing, golf ball-pounding, narcissist who cares only about himself. He is also capable of showing compassion, and he did that today.”
The sarcastic remarks were followed by him adding, “This afternoon, Donald Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to Todd and Julie Chrisley. These are the Chrisleys. They are reality TV stars, just like him. He doesn’t forget his roots.”
Kimmel said that the first time he ever saw a promo for the Chrisley family’s former reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, he “thought it was a joke” and that Todd and Julie were actors in a “parody reality show about a woman who married her own ventriloquist dummy.” He later referred to the duo as “a mom and her gay real estate broker son.”
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After pointing out that a jury found the Chrisleys guilty of “conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans,” he joked, “That happens to be an issue that’s very dear to President Trump. He has a soft spot in his heart for fraud. So he summoned the cameras to capture him calling the Chrisley’s kids, who are also reality stars, to share the good news. Isn’t that beautiful? That’s how generous Trump is. He doesn’t know those people. He just saw some fellow criminals in need!”
Kimmel then rolled a throwback clip of Todd telling Julie she needed to change her outfit because he could see her camel toe. “Are we sure that guy wants to leave prison?” the late night host quipped. “‘Give me two more weeks to say goodbye to the fellas!’”
For the entire two years and four months that Todd and Julie spent behind bars, their daughter Savannah Chrisley has been campaigning for their release. After speaking on behalf of Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2024, she met with him personally in February to ask for the pardon, which he granted on Tuesday, May 27.