Julie Chrisley Praises Daughter Savannah for Ability to 'Step Right In and Not Miss a Beat' as a Caretaker amid Her Imprisonment

The TV personality is a mom to two children: Savannah and Chase Chrisley

NEED TO KNOW

• Julie Chrisley is proud of how her daughter Savannah stepped in to raise her younger brother and sister amid her imprisonment
• In the new ABC News Studios special, the TV personality said she could "never thank her for that"
• The mom of three shares her children with husband Todd Chrisley

Julie Chrisley has nothing but gratitude for her daughter.

During the ABC News studio special The Chrisley's Life After Lockup, the mom of three, 52, her husband Todd Chrisley and their daughter Savannah Chrisley sat down to discuss all of the burning questions surrounding their life as they prepare to step back into the spotlight after being pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Julie shared how grateful she was that her daughter, 27, stepped "right in and not miss a beat" when it came to her younger sister Chloe, 12, and brother Grayson, 19.

"I have to say I was beyond proud. That’s probably what I’m the most proud of because they did deserve to be left without a mom, and she was able to step right in and not miss a beat, and I can never thank her for that," she said. "And the things that they were able to do and accomplish, I just couldn’t have done it any better."

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In June 2022, Todd and Julie were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion. A federal judge sentenced Todd to 12 years in prison and 16 months probation, while Julie received seven years in prison and 16 months probation. The couple reported to prison on Jan. 17, 2023, and roughly 28 months later, President Trump granted them a full pardon.

"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. "This moment is the answer to countless prayers, and I am beyond grateful to President Trump for seeing the truth and restoring my family."

After her parents reported to prison in January 2023, Savannah became the primary caretaker of Chloe, who's the biological daughter of Todd's son Kyle Chrisley, and her brother Grayson. Back in February, Savannah spoke with PEOPLE about becoming the sole caretaker of her two siblings, admitting that it had been a hard adjustment for her.

"I wasn't expecting to get two kids," Savannah told PEOPLE. "So, between that, legal expenses to fight for my parents, I am just like anyone else out here. Sure, I put a smile on my face. I look the part, I play the part. But it doesn't mean I actually am the part. You fake it till you make it. That's the world that we live in. ... I've struggled."

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After President Trump announced on Tuesday, May 27, that he was fully pardoning her parents, Savannah shared her younger sister Chloe's reaction to finding out their parents were coming back.

"Chloe, I think, is still in shock," Savannah shared while appearing on NewsNation's On Balance with Leland Vittert. "She doesn't want to get her hopes up, because she feels like something bad is going to happen. But I'm excited to be going to get my dad and bringing him home to her. We're excited."

In March, Savannah again spoke with PEOPLE and explained that while things had been difficult for her, she knew that her parents' imprisonment was also taking a toll on her siblings — including Grayson.

"He had to grow up so fast and I hate it," she explained. "But at the same time, this whole situation has taught him how cruel the world can be, and how you have to protect yourself. And as cruel as it's been, he also has kept this softness about him, and he's in therapy every single week. I just love to see the heart that he has, and how he's shown up."

"That's how you want any man in your life to be is to show up for you and show up well, and show up even when they get it wrong. He's learning those lessons at 16 years old, when all this happened. And now he's 18, and it's just, I could not be more proud," she added.

Savannah noted that "so many times," Grayson has said to her: "'You saved me. I don't know where I would be without you. I don't know what Chloe and I would've done without you.'"

"He says that. But I look at him and I'm like, he saved me more times than I can count," the Good Girl RX creator said.