Alice Marie Johnson Dines at a Restaurant for the First Time in More Than 20 Years Following Prison Release

Kim Kardashian West, who helped secure Johnson's release, is now eager to meet her.

After being welcomed home by family and friends, Alice Marie Johnson headed out to a restaurant for the first time in more than 20 years.

The great-grandmother and her many loved ones — including her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren — gathered around a table at The Hub in Memphis, Tenn., for a family dinner 25 years in the making. 

“Just basking in the love of my loved ones," Johnson told Inside Edition. “This moment would not be happening if it had not been for what Kim Kardashian did and Donald Trump did."

Johnson was arrested for the first time in 1993 for a non-violent drug offense.  

Though she had never before committed a crime before, Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Her case caught the attention of Kim Kardashian West, who last week lobbied for President Trump to commute Johnson’s sentence. Trump signed a commutation one week later.

“Good luck Alice Johnson,” the president wrote on Twitter.

Kardashian West got to deliver the news to Johnson personally that she would be going home.

"Telling her for the first time and hearing her screams while crying together is a moment I will never forget," she wrote on Twitter.

The reality TV star and business mogul was photographed arriving at a New York City hotel Thursday. She is planning to meet with Johnson in the coming days. 

But immediately after her release, Johnson was savoring her freedom and all the perks that came with it.

“I’ve been waiting for these shrimp,” she said of her first meal outside prison.

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