Tiger King star Joe Exotic, who is currently serving a 21-year jail sentence, has found love behind bars with a fellow inmate.
The 61-year-old, whose legal name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, excitedly shared the engagement news on X. He introduced his 33-year-old fiance Jorge Marquez as “so amazing”.
Joe, who rose to fame after starring on the Netflix show, gushed about their future plans, stating: “Meet Jorge Marquez, he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico. Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum, or we be leaving America when we both get out. Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago.”
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Joe, known for his wild antics and eccentric personality, has been married twice before. In 2021, his then-husband Dillon Passage announced their split after three years, writing: “Yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce.”
He added: “This wasn’t an easy decision to make but Joe and I both understand that this situation isn’t fair to either of us. It’s something that neither of us were expecting but we are going to take it day by day.”
Before Dillon, Joe was married to Travis Maldonado, who died in a tragic accident in 2017. The former zookeeper became a household name following the release of Tiger King on Netflix.
His current incarceration in an Oklahoma federal prison stems from convictions in 2020 for a murder-for-hire plot targeting Carole Baskin and multiple counts of animal abuse. Joe, who has maintained his innocence, was arrested when he attempted to hire a hitman who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent with a $10,000 bounty to kill Carole Baskin, who runs a sanctuary for big cats in Florida.
In March 2023, he left fans gobsmacked by announcing his presidential run for 2024. He declared on social media: “It’s official! I am now a candidate for President of the United States in 2024.”
Confusion arose among his supporters about his prison status and potential early release. To clear the air, he explained from his cell via the penitentiary’s site: “Yes, I know I am in federal prison and you might think this is a joke but it’s not. It is my Constitutional right to do this even from here.”
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