Long before he was a politician, Donald Trump was a celebrity — if not professionally, then at least in terms of the lavish lifestyle he worked to ensure was inextricably linked to his eponymous brand. It's an association he has continued to cultivate well into his political career, surrounding himself on the campaign trail and in the Oval Office with a parade of notables from the worlds of art, athletics, music and beyond. Moreover, Trump has used his presidential power in the service of many celebrities with blots on their legal records, pardoning and commuting sentences for a host of high-profile figures for everything from gun convictions to financial fraud.
While many of the president's most impactful pardons have taken place in the arena of professional politics and those who practice it, Trump has also demonstrated a penchant for extending favor to those whose influence is more cultural than policy-based. Here are some of the most famous figures who have received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
Todd and Julie Chrisley
Convicted in 2022 on a host of financial and fraud-related charges, the eponymous stars of USA Network's "Chrisley Knows Best" hid their crimes behind their "self-presentation as self-made businesspeople," said The New York Times. The Chrisleys "don't look like terrorists to me," Trump reportedly told the pair's daughter, Savannah, while announcing the May 2025 pardons, Savannah said to NewsNation. "I don't know them, but give them my regards and wish them good luck," Trump added.
The pair have been "unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system," said White House spokesperson Harrison Fields in a statement to NBC News upon the pardon announcement. The family now appears in a new reality show, greenlit just days before the Chrisleys were officially pardoned.
Jay Johnston
From his televised beginnings on cult favorite "Mr. Show" to his starring role on "Bob's Burgers," actor and comedian Jay Johnston was a mainstay on television screens for years until he was arrested and convicted for joining the mob of MAGA supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. Johnston was ultimately sentenced to more than a year in prison in part for having "cracked jokes and interacted with other rioters as he used a cellphone to record the violence around him," said NPR.
Johnston was ultimately pardoned in one of Trump's first presidential acts of his second term, along with hundreds of other Jan. 6 participants. Trump politicized the arrests and imprisonments of many Capitol rioters during the run-up to the 2024 election.
NBA YoungBoy
Born Kentrell Gaulden, rapper NBA YoungBoy ended "more than five years of legal morass" by pleading guilty to gun-related charges in multiple states in 2024, The New York Times said, only to be made a free man as part of the president's pardon spree in May last year. Gaulden's legal saga has "come to a conclusion," said attorney Drew Findling, who previously served as Trump's personal legal counsel during the since-closed Georgia election interference case. The rapper can now "concentrate on first and foremost his family, and then, of course, his amazing career," Findling said to the Times.
"I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father and as an artist," the rapper said in a statement posted to social media after his release. Trump's pardon means the artist "won't have to follow the terms of his probation, including drug testing," said The Associated Press. YoungBoy's post-pardon tour has avoided "references to Donald Trump," Rolling Stone said, "even though his latest album, MASA, short for 'Make America Slime Again,' is a reference to Trump as a political figure."
Michelino Sunseri
Professional ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri was convicted last year of violating a "code restricting hikers' use on designated trails and prohibiting shortcuts in certain areas" during an attempted record-breaking run in Grand Teton National Park in 2024, said Outside. Sunseri received "widespread online support after his conviction," The Guardian said. Given the media coverage of the conviction, attorney Michael Poon told the paper, he suspects that the case "caught the eye of the officials in charge of the pardon process." Sunseri's November 2025 pardon "stands out as a nonpolitical one," The New York Times said, coming "on the day that Mr. Trump granted clemency to dozens of people accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election."
Lil Wayne
The president's January 2021 pardon of rap superstar Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., came after speculation that the rapper was "angling for a pardon" after he "unexpectedly shared a photo" of himself and Trump during the 2020 campaign, Rolling Stone said. Carter, who pleaded guilty to felony gun possession in 2020 and faced up to a decade in prison, had exhibited his "generosity" through a "commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of food banks," the White House said when it announced his pardon.
Michael 'Harry-O' Harris
While perhaps not a household name, Michael "Harry-O" Harris has been an instrumental figure in the music industry and hip-hop community, co-founding Death Row Records while behind bars for drug charges and attempted murder. During his incarceration, Harris not only helped launch the iconic rap label but also "negotiated deals with a variety of mainstream music labels," said the Los Angeles Times. Harris initially had his sentence commuted by Trump at the end of the president's first term, before being pardoned entirely as part of Trump's May clemency acts.
"This freedom is a gift," Harris said in a statement posted to Instagram thanking Trump and daughter Ivanka, as well as "Pardon-czar" Alice Marie Johnson, who has advised Trump on his clemency efforts following her own sentence commutation and eventual pardoning for drug-related offenses. "I will not waste it."
Kodak Black
Sentenced to nearly four years behind bars on federal weapons charges, rapper Kodak Black, born Bill Kapri, was initially granted clemency at the end of Trump's first term alongside fellow hip-hop star Lil Wayne. Black is a "prominent artist and community leader" who "committed to supporting a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged," the White House said while announcing his commuted sentence.
The "campaign" for Kapri's freedom was backed by a host of religious figures, "including Ohio pastor and former Trump adviser Darrell Scott," as well as former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who was "himself pardoned by Trump" one year prior, said the BBC. Since his pardon, Black has become "very loyal to Trump," XXL Magazine said. Asked in the run-up to the 2024 election whether he'd vote for Trump, Black said, "we should have Donald Trump for like 20 years like how Russian and all that sh-t be doin." That summer, he also released a pro-Trump song, "ONBOA47RD," and attended the president's inauguration ball in January.
Carlos Watson
Convicted in 2024 on a host of charges related to allegations of widespread fraud at Ozy Media, cofounder and former television host Carlos Watson was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison before Trump commuted his sentence as part of a "string of other acts of clemency revealed by the White House" in March 2025, said CBS. Trump's commutation came "just hours" before Watson was set to report to prison, CNBC said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
