Todd Chrisley Admits He Was Put Off By His Wife's Look Post-Release: 'I Started Thinking About Going Back'

Todd Chrisley has revealed how he reacted when he saw his wife, Julie Chrisley, for the first time after their release from prison for fraud and tax evasion charges.

The reality TV star shared on a podcast that he "started thinking about going back" because her appearance turned him off.

Todd and Julie Chrisley were originally sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison before being pardoned in May 2025 by President Donald Trump.

Wednesday's episode of "Chrisley Confessions" featured a shocking revelation from Todd about his reaction to seeing his wife's appearance for the first time after her release from prison.

"I'm not going to lie. When I first saw you when I got out of that car, I started thinking about going back," the media personality candidly shared with his partner of nearly three decades.

But rather than act on his thoughts, Todd revealed that he chose to "embrace" her appearance.

He noted that he believed it was only a temporary "moment" before she reverts to her usual style.

Reacting to Todd's bold confession about being turned off by her, Julie replied, "Are you kidding me right now?" which suggested that she was shocked he felt that way at the time.

However, this didn't stop Todd from doubling down on his stance. The TV star explained that he felt that way about her appearance because it was jarring for him to see her without her typical blonde locks.

"It was a rough moment because I had never seen you dark in my life. Julie, 30 years, I've never seen you with dark hair," Todd said.

Julie then replied, "Well, I know that, Todd, but I didn't have any choice."

After her release from prison, a photo of Julie Chrisley circulated online, showing that her signature blonde locks had turned a natural brown with gray roots.

Reflecting on the moment earlier in the podcast, the mother of three gushed about how she feels like she is back to being her best self, if not better.

"Was there a horrible picture that came out of me? Yes, but the way I flip that is look at me now," she shared. "Now, people think I look even better because that horrible picture was out there, to begin with."

Interestingly, Todd chose to reply with a lighthearted shade at his wife, saying, "I will say, you set the bar low, you had nowhere to go but up."

Julie then fired back with, "Now that wasn't very nice," which prompted Todd to remark, "I'm just trying to be honest."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Julie explained how she ended up with the look she had when she left prison.

She revealed that during the early months of her sentence, she was able to maintain her highlights thanks to a fellow inmate with hairstyling experience.

However, after that inmate was released, she had to rely on box dye for a while before eventually deciding to let her natural hair grow out.

Looking back on it all, Julie admitted she wouldn't blame anyone who was shocked by her appearance, acknowledging that she did look "crazy."

"I'll admit, I looked crazy," the mother of three confessed. "But now, see, people think when they see me, 'Oh, my God, you look so good!' and I'm thinking, yeah, because you saw that picture of me looking crazy."

Todd and Julie Chrisley's prison stint stemmed from their conviction on federal fraud charges and tax evasion in 2022.

The couple began serving their sentences in January 2023, with Todd placed at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie sent to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Lexington, Kentucky.

Together, they were initially sentenced to 19 years, with Todd receiving 12 years and Julie receiving 7 years. However, in September of that year, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reduced Todd's sentence by two years and Julie's by 14 months.

Their entire sentence was later completely vacated following a presidential pardon granted by Donald Trump in late May 2025.

"Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow," the president told the Chrisley children in a video call, which was recorded and shared by a White House rep.

Trump added, "They were given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I'm hearing, pretty harsh treatment."