In the first public appearance after being pardoned by President Donald Trump, reality television star Todd Chrisley got real about what he experienced behind bars. As a rich white man, it's no secret Chrisley likely has privileges most folks don't-- especially Black folks.
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According to him, this was extra apparent when he went to prison.
"I have met some wonderful men. I have listened to some horrific stories about things that have gone on in our system," Chrisley said during a Friday (May 30) news conference. "Being in the prison system, anyone that says that it’s a fair shake — it’s not... I dealt with young African-American males in the prison that I was in that were not treated the same."
The "Chrisley Knows Best" star continued saying Black inmates "were denied programming. They were denied access to certain things." He added, “I was not denied that, but we know why I wasn’t denied that." Many saw Chrisley's remarks as proof he's using his privilege for good, advocating for Black men.
"You know what … hell yeah," @magictouchmamii wrote. "He better use his voice to speak out for the black men behind them bars." Chrisley and his wife, Julie, were pardoned by Trump after being convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022, according to PEOPLE.
@The_Jermaine added, "Todd a real one. Who knew?" But while some Black folks were giving the TV star props for using his platform correctly, others saw it as performative. In fact, Black users on X called out other Black Americans for praising Chrisley for doing the bare minimum.
"He’s right, but I’m not applauding him for saying this like other black folk are." @EasyE124 said. Black activists have been pushing the need for prison reform for generations. Folks like former Black Panther leader Angela Davis and the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson, focused their careers on fighting for change within the American prison system... but when a white man finally does it, he's the one that makes headlines.
"This is the guilt of a yt man that’s trying to correct his wrongs by being a yt savior to blk people," @clarinetpro87 claimed. "There is a long list of black activists that do prison reform work but don’t get the credit."
"A black man says this, and he's an ashy hotep that makes excuses. A white man says this, and y'all sending cookout invites," @i_am_arlandf tweeted. "Y'all are still slaves."
Another user, @NitaDear, said people are "so easily impressed by human beings having human decency." @Chirleeee even noted that Chrisley's "got a mixed race granddaughter so I would hope he has a basic amount of empathy towards those who don't look like him."
@yeezy_rondo said Chrisley simply speaking up about the clear injustices isn't enough. "Instead of applauding simple advocacy lets applaud actual ACTIONS towards these issues," he wrote.
Chrisley continued the conference saying the unbalanced treatment of Black men in prison should start a greater conversation. "I think that that is a much bigger picture that we all as a society as a whole need to look at: that we are one," he said.
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