Reality star Gia Giudice sought President Trump's help for deported father after Chrisley pardon

Gia Giudice, a reality television personality, says she asked President Donald Trump to consider a pardon for her father, Joe Giudice, who was deported to Italy in October 2019 after serving 41 months in federal prison on fraud charges. He now lives in the Bahamas. Giudice, who appears with her mother Teresa Giudice on the Fox show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, described the move as an earnest appeal rooted in a desire to reunite a family that has faced lengthy separation due to immigration rules.

"And then when we saw that with the Chrisley family, it kind of gave us hope and inspired my dad to push a little bit on social media. I decided to make a video and, at the end of the day, we just want our dad home and that's all that it is, and I think any daughter, son, family member would want that for their family as well," Gia said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. She said she reached out to the former president but did not receive a reply.

Joe Giudice moved to the United States as a baby but never naturalized, remaining a green-card holder. He was deported after serving 41 months in federal prison for fraud charges; after his release in March 2019, he was held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while his deportation was processed. Teresa Giudice, who also faced prison time for bankruptcy fraud, mail fraud and failing to file tax returns, has said she hopes her ex-husband can return to the United States, where she believes he belongs.

"Even though Joe and I are not together, I would love for him to come back to America," Teresa told Fox News Digital. "I feel like he does belong here. He's been here since he was one… And it was paperwork that he went away for. I'm hopeful too, that he comes back." Teresa later said she was proud of Gia for taking action, noting that the outreach reflected a family’s desire to stay connected.

Teresa Giudice and Gia Giudice appeared on the fourth season of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, a collaboration that the mother-daughter duo described as transformative. The show documents a grueling experience that tested their endurance and teamwork, with both saying the experience drew them closer.

"Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" premieres on September 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX, and the pair used the stint to reflect on personal limits and resilience. During the show, Gia recalled a particularly challenging hike in which they carried 30-pound Bergens on their backs, a moment she described as exhausting and scary. She said that, despite the hardship, she did not quit and learned more about herself and her relationship with her mother.

The Chrisley family’s pardon, which drew renewed attention to clemency and immigration policy, occurred after President Trump granted clemency to Todd and Julie Chrisley and their subsequent release from prison. The case has become a reference point in discussions about how presidential pardons can influence public narratives around deportation and family separation, even as individual applications for clemency remain on the periphery of federal immigration enforcement.

In reflecting on the experience, Gia emphasized that the effort was personal rather than political. She said she hoped the conversation around her father’s status would inspire a broader look at how immigration rules intersect with families who have established long lives in the United States. While there is no public indication of a result in Joe Giudice’s case, the Giudice family has used media appearances to maintain public attention on his situation and to share firsthand perspectives on the impact of deportation on families.

As the entertainment and political worlds intersect in cases like this, the Giudice family’s story illustrates how personal histories intersect with policy debates. The Trump administration’s clemency actions, coupled with renewed interest in immigration and deportation cases, continue to shape how mixed-status families navigate fear, hope and legal avenues for reunification.