Savannah Chrisley is carefully managing her expectations regarding the possibility of her mother being released from prison. On the August 13 episode of her “Unlocked” podcast, Savannah, who starred alongside her family on Chrisley Knows Best from 2014 to 2023, expressed her desire to stay grounded and not get her hopes up too high. She shared that while she remains hopeful, she is trying to prepare herself for any outcome as her family navigates these challenging times.
Her mother, Julie, and father, Todd, were convicted of 12 counts of financial crimes in 2022 and sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison in January 2023. However, their sentences were reduced in September 2023. Julie is now scheduled for release in October 2028, while Todd is set to be released in January 2033.
The couple has consistently maintained their innocence. Savannah Chrisley experienced a ray of hope when the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the original trial judge had miscalculated Julie’s sentence. A resentencing is scheduled for September. In the meantime, Savannah has been having dreams of her mother returning home, which have left her feeling disoriented upon waking.
“That’s the only dreams that I’ve had recently,” she shared. “It’s just her coming home and her being at home to the point that I wake up and I’m kind of disoriented. I’m like, ‘Wait. What is happening?’ Because it feels so real. And I’m trying not to get my hopes up because, let’s face it, a lot of things within this legal battle have not gone our way.”
“So I expect the worst, and anything else that is better than that is a win,” she added.
Savannah Chrisley celebrated her 27th birthday on August 11 and opened up about what it’s like to mark the occasion without her mother. She reflected on the emotional challenge of celebrating this milestone while dealing with her family’s ongoing legal issues and her mother’s absence. Despite the circumstances, Savannah’s resilience shines through as she navigates these difficult times with a hopeful perspective.
“My mom has always been the one to make my birthday so special, celebrate it, and it’s really hard not having her here,” Savannah Chrisley shared. “Holidays suck in general when you have a loved one that is not here with you, whether that person has passed away, or you just don’t have the ability to be together on a day-to-day basis, or really communicate that well. So, it’s tough.”
On Father’s Day, Savannah took to Instagram to express her emotional struggle since her parents’ incarceration. “Our family, one that was once whole and complete, now feels fractured and incomplete without my sweet mama and daddy,” she wrote. “Our experience has shown me firsthand the harsh realities of our prison system.
I was never subjected to it. I just didn’t know. But I can tell you… It doesn’t just punish the individual… it tears at the true core of families, leaving behind wounds that are slow to heal. I honestly don’t know if they ever will… The supposed justice often feels unjust, and the system designed to protect us sometimes feels like it’s doing the opposite.”