Joe Exotic appears to be marking the start of a new chapter while remaining behind bars.
The “Tiger King” star, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, announced late Monday on social media that he and Jorge Flores, a fellow prison inmate, had gotten married.
“Never been more proud of someone,” Exotic wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a photo of him and Flores in matching tuxedos. “Meet my husband Jorge Flores Maldonado.”
The authenticity of the photo has not been verified. Similarly, a representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons Office of Public Affairs was unable to confirm that Exotic and Flores had tied the knot, telling Entertainment Weekly in a statement: “We do not comment on the conditions of confinement for any individual in our custody.”
A former zookeeper, Exotic is serving a 21-year sentence for attempting to hire a hit man to murder rival Carole Baskin in addition to numerous multiple federal wildlife violations. He is currently incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is being treated for prostate cancer.
Exotic’s case was the subject of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Tiger King,” which captivated viewers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He broke the news of his engagement on X in October of last year.
“Meet Jorge Marquez he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico,” he wrote at the time. “Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum or we be leaving America when we both get out.”
He went on to note: “Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago.”
In an interview with EW shortly after getting engaged, Exotic described Flores as “a very amazing young man,” adding, “We love each other very much, spend every minute of the day together.”
Exotic was previously married to Travis Maldonado, who died in 2017 at age 23. From 2017 to 2023, he was married to Dillon Passage, who was featured prominently in “Tiger King.”
In recent months, Exotic has been actively seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump via an attorney.
After Trump pardoned over 1,500 defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol shortly after being sworn into office for a second term, Exotic bemoaned, “You forgot me … again.”
“If I was a crack dealer, maybe if I broke in the capital or even have been related to the Bidens. I might have gotten some relief on being in prison innocent,” Exotic, who has expressed his support for Trump in the past, wrote on Instagram. “Hell the guy who killed 2 FBI Agents even hot a pardon today. I can’t even get a new trial based on admitted perjury testimony.”
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