Tiger King star Joe Exotic, 61, announces engagement to 33-year-old fellow inmate amid 21-year prison sentence

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By James Kay

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Joe Exotic has announced that he is happily engaged to an inmate he met in prison!

For those unfamiliar, Exotic - whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - became a worldwide sensation in 2020 with the release of Tiger King, which detailed his life as a zookeeper and his feud with animal rights activist Carole Baskin.

Exotic’s conviction stems from a 2017 incident where he allegedly offered $10,000 to an undercover government agent to kill Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue.


Prosecutors presented a secretly recorded meeting in which Exotic reportedly instructed the agent to “cap her and drive off.”

Despite his conviction, Exotic has consistently denied these allegations, claiming his intentions were misinterpreted.

His prison sentence, initially 22 years, was reduced to 21 years in 2022 following an appeal. In the years since, he has publicly pleaded with high-profile figures like former President Donald Trump and Kourtney Kardashian - though, without success.

Well, despite his sentence, it seems that Exotic has found some happiness behind bars.

He has revealed his engagement to Jorge Marquez!

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Exotic introduced Marquez, a 33-year-old from Mexico, describing him as "amazing."

In his message, Exotic, 61, expressed his hopes of marriage and a potential life together with Marquez.


"Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum, or we be leaving America when we both get out," he wrote. "Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago."

The Kansas native reportedly filed a marriage application with federal prison authorities, marking the first steps in formalizing his relationship with Marquez, who, according to CBS News, is also serving time for immigration-related issues.

The couple remains hopeful that the prison will approve their wedding application. Exotic also expressed optimism about his pending legal appeals.

Exotic has called for a presidential pardon for both himself and Marquez, adding an appeal for asylum on behalf of his fiancé.

“I wish someone that is President or wins the Presidency would do the right thing and pardon me so I could move past this nightmare that my own country has caused for the last seven years of my life,” Exotic said. “All I did was build a zoo, and some people were very jealous. Then I was put into prison by my own country.”


In a phone interview with Entertainment Tonight, Exotic shared that he and Marquez had recently filed for a marriage license and are now waiting on official approval.

“He has picked out December 12 as the date we’re hoping to get this approved by,” Exotic explained.

However, the application requires clearance from the prison warden, psychiatric staff, and a chaplain before it can proceed.

"We love each other very much, [and] spend every minute of the day together,” Exotic added.

Reflecting on past relationships, Exotic shared the challenges he has faced.

"I’ve been through some s*** in my days. I buried two husbands, the third one ran off with $2.6 million bucks from Netflix and left my a here, but Jorge is a very amazing young man," he said.

Featured image credit: Joe Exotic / X