Jeremy Meeks, better known as the 'hot felon', went viral in 2014 after his mugshot captured the attention of thousands worldwide.

After it was shared by police on Facebook, it quickly racked up thousands of likes and comments as people were taken aback by the handsome felon.

His striking looks - with a shaven head, stubble, tattoos, and piercing blue eyes staring down the lens - quickly earned him millions of admirers.

But what did the hot felon do to get arrested in the first place?

Jeremy Meeks became better known as the 'hot felon' after his mugshot went viral. Credit: Stockton Police Department via Getty Images

Meeks and three other men were arrested by Stockton Police Department on June 18, 2014, as part of a multi-agency law enforcement mission dubbed Operation Ceasefire.

Meeks denied the charges, but was listed as a "convicted felon, arrested for felony weapon charges", and his and several other men's photos were shared on Facebook following the arrest.

His bail was set at $1,050,000, and a Northern California grand jury indicted Meeks on July 3, 2014, on a charge of possession of a semiautomatic .45 caliber pistol that was transported across state borders in the commission of grand theft.

The state dropped its charges against Meeks and his case was handed over to federal prosecutors, and on February 5, 2015, Meeks was convicted by a federal judge of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.

He was also ordered to participate in the 500-Hour Bureau of Prisons Substance Abuse Treatment Program while incarcerated at Mendota Federal Correctional Institution.[

Meeks served 13 months of his sentence before he was released on March 8, 2016, and ordered to reside in a transitional housing facility for several weeks following his release from prison.

Meeks opened up about the strange time after his mugshot went viral, when obsessed fans would take up his limited visiting slots to try and get close to him while he was in prison, stopping his young son from being able to visit.

In March 2026, Meeks appeared on the Matthew Cox - Inside True Crime podcast where he revealed: "I’m still a month into my mug shot going viral. This is so fresh that I'm still getting letters. I got random, random f**king people coming up to visit me."

He revealed that they never actually got to spend time with him face to face as he would deny them "before I even walk up the stairs into the section" as he could see them through the glass, and told officers he did not know who the visitor was.

Despite him turning down their visits, the prison still counted them as among his two-per-week allowance.

"They're like, ‘Well, I'm still taking your visit. You can deny it, but I'm still gonna take your visit for the week.' So now my family can't come because I got f**king random people coming to see me and it was so frustrating."

He recalled telling two people who'd returned numerous times: "'Hey, please don't come back. I need to see my kids.

"'My son's 5 years old and he doesn't understand why I'm not home and he needs to see me. I’m just gonna ask that you please don't come back.'"

He admitted: "It was rough. And the only thing that made it rough is ‘cause my kids."

Featured image credit: Stockton Police Department via Getty Images

Jeremy Meeks found instant overnight fame back in 2014 after his striking mugshot went viral - but what is the 'hot felon' up to now?

Now 42, Meeks was 30 when he was arrested in Stockton, California, during a gang sweep, but ended up amassing an unexpected following after his mugshot was shared on Facebook by police.

His shaved head, light stubble and tattoos, combined with his chiseled jawline and piercing blue eyes had thousand thirsting over him, and soon earned him the accolade of being known as the 'hot felon'.

In February 2015, Meeks was convicted by a federal judge of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, where he served 13 months of his sentence before being released in March 2016.

Jeremy Meeks became better known as the 'hot felon' after his mugshot went viral. Credit: Stockton Police Department via Getty Images

Upon his release, Meeks was quickly signed up by a model agent and began a very successful modeling career, making his runway debut in 2017.

Prior to his arrest, Meeks had a son with his ex-wife Melissa Meeks, to whom he was married from 2008 until 2018, and went on to have a second son with Chloe Green, the daughter of British businessman Philip Green, before the pair split amicably in 2019.

What does Jeremy Meeks look like now?

Well, there's no mistaking Meeks as he still remains just as striking as he ever was, as fans got an update on his life in a new podcast interview.

In March 2026, Meeks appeared on the Matthew Cox - Inside True Crime podcast where he opened up about the madness of overnight fame.

He revealed that fans were so obsessed with trying to get close to him that they even took up some of the very limited visitor slots to see him in prison, stopping his own child - Jeremy Jr., now 17 - from being able to visit his father.

Meeks explained: "I’m still a month into my mug shot going viral. This is so fresh that I'm still getting letters. I got random, random f**king people coming up to visit me."

He revealed that they never actually got to spend time with him face to face as he would deny them "before I even walk up the stairs into the section" as he could see them through the glass, and told officers he did not know who the visitor was.

Despite him turning down their visits, the prison still counted them as among his two-per-week allowance.

"They're like, ‘Well, I'm still taking your visit. You can deny it, but I'm still gonna take your visit for the week.' So now my family can't come because I got f**king random people coming to see me and it was so frustrating."

He recalled telling two people who'd returned numerous times: "'Hey, please don't come back. I need to see my kids.

"'My son's 5 years old and he doesn't understand why I'm not home and he needs to see me. I’m just gonna ask that you please don't come back.'"

He admitted: "It was rough. And the only thing that made it rough is ‘cause my kids."

As he didn't have social media before prison, Meeks didn't initially understand his mugshot going viral, until news channels began trying to speak with him.

Jeremy Meeks (pictured in 2025) still looks striking. Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

"I would say on the third day, that's when just... floods and floods of letters from all over the world. I was probably getting 300 letters a day," he revealed, adding that he was found it "too much" when people began sending him nude photos and money orders.

He revealed that the intense attention - including reporters fighting to get into the courtroom for his hearings - led to conflict with the corrections officers when he was behind bars.

Featured image credit: Stockton Police Department via Getty Images

More than a decade after his mugshot broke the internet, Jeremy Meeks, once dubbed the "world’s hottest felon," has had one of the most unlikely glow-ups in modern celebrity culture.

Back in 2014, Meeks was arrested in Stockton, California, facing five firearms charges.

Police described him as "one of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area."

But when the department posted his booking photo on Facebook, his piercing blue eyes and chiseled jawline quickly stole the spotlight.

The image racked up more than 20,000 likes and over 95,000 comments, earning him viral fame while still behind bars.

From Prison Time to Modeling Contracts

At the time, Meeks was a documented gang member with a lengthy rap sheet that included grand theft and forgery.

In February 2015, he was convicted of felony firearm possession and sentenced to 27 months in prison, according to KCRA3.

Speaking to BuzzFeed in 2020, he revealed: “While I was still incarcerated, I received, I believe, 45 contracts.”

He served just over a year.

Upon his release in March 2016, he thanked supporters via Instagram: “I want to thank my family and everybody for all your love, support, and prayers. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready.”

From there, Meeks’ transformation was nothing short of cinematic.

He signed with White Cross Management and landed runway gigs with designers like Philipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger.

“I'm in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life,” he told ABC at the time.

By 2020, he was appearing in films like Trigger, Secret Society, and True to the Game 2 and 3.

He also made a cameo in Russian pop star Olga Buzova’s music video Wi-Fi and later inked a $15 million deal with Fashion Concept GmbH to launch his own clothing line, per WWD.

Reflecting on his journey, Meeks told BuzzFeed: “If anyone would’ve told me 10 years ago that I was gonna be traveling the world, walking in fashion shows, acting in movies? I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

Author and Advocate

Now 41, Meeks still looks striking, but his style has shifted from street mugshot to sleek high fashion.

In 2024, he added “author” to his resume with Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks.

“I'm in a place in my life where I am extremely vulnerable and want to tell my story, the whole story, and hope that people can connect to it and understand how I came to be in the place that I'm at in my life,” he said.

The book dives into the darker parts of his past, something he began opening up about in 2019 on the What’s Your Water podcast: “Both of my parents were heroin addicts. I was a heroin baby ... My childhood was very dark. My dad committed a murder when I was nine months old and killed my mom's best friend.”

According to the book’s synopsis, Model Citizen charts his rise from a “poverty-stricken and gang-tied adolescence” to global fame, calling Meeks “the new American Dream, finally realized.”

Life Off the Runway

While his career skyrocketed, Meeks’ personal life also made headlines. He shares a son, Jeremy Jr., with his ex-wife Melissa Meeks, and another son, Jayden, with Topshop heiress Chloe Green.

Although the couple split in 2019, Meeks later told Extra: “I have an incredible relationship with Chloe, the mother of my two-year-old. And now I have a relationship with the mother of my oldest son. They're in good places. I'm in a good place. We're all co-parenting. They are incredible mothers.”

In 2024, he confirmed to People: “I am single. I'm trying to focus on myself.”

And, in a surprisingly candid moment at the premiere of Dutch III: International Gangster, Meeks admitted, “I've been celibate for almost three years ... 'Cause I'm not being distracted," per Complex.

Featured image credit: Andreas Rentz / Getty

Rapper 50 Cent has given a savage response after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to federal prison.

The two have had a long-running feud, and 50 Cent wasted no time turning Diddy's court loss into a punchline. The moment served as both a jab and a platform for 50 Cent to boost his own voice online.

Diddy gets over four years for prostitution charges

On October 3, Diddy was sentenced to 50 months in prison after being found guilty on two federal counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution, a violation of the Mann Act. While he was cleared of more serious charges including sex trafficking and racketeering, the court handed down a $500,000 fine and ordered five years of supervised release following his sentence.

Prosecutors argued that Diddy’s defense team underestimated the seriousness of the charges by proposing just 14 months. Judge Arun Subramanian rejected that suggestion, saying it didn’t reflect the weight of the case.

50 Cent trolls Diddy and plugs his own projects

50 Cent took to social media shortly after the news broke, posting a court sketch of Diddy with the caption: “Hey to whoever was booking Diddy for speaking engagement. I heard he won’t be able to make it, I’m available!”

He also posted what he called a “victim impact statement,” addressed directly to the judge. The letter mixed exaggeration with sarcasm, painting Diddy as a public threat while referencing baby oil, male sex workers, and a Netflix documentary he claimed to be working on.

While the tone was clearly mocking, 50 Cent used the opportunity to reinforce his long-standing narrative that Diddy is dangerous and unpredictable. The letter was widely shared online and seen by many as another strategic media play.

What comes next

Diddy’s legal team is expected to appeal the decision, but the current sentence means he’ll be out of public view for years. As one legacy star enters a legal battle with serious consequences, another uses the moment to reinforce his image as a provocateur with reach and timing.

Featured image credit: Sergione Infuso - Corbis / Getty

Jeremy Meeks went from an infamous police mugshot to an international modeling and acting career after his striking appearance captured the internet's attention.

The transformation began in 2014, when California's Stockton Police Department posted Meeks' mugshot on Facebook following his arrest on firearms charges. Police described him as "one of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area", but online commenters quickly became more interested in his piercing blue eyes and model-like appearance.

Meeks shot to fame for mugshot

Jeremy Meeks. Credit: Handout / Getty

According to reports, the photograph attracted more than 95,000 comments and 20,000 likes, with Meeks soon earning nicknames including the "fine felon" and, later, the "world's hottest felon."

Meeks was convicted of felony firearm possession in February 2015 and sentenced to 27 months behind bars. However, his unexpected path into the entertainment industry had already begun while he was incarcerated.

Speaking to BuzzFeed in 2020, Meeks revealed: "While I was still incarcerated, I received, I believe, 45 contracts."

After serving 13 months, he was released in March 2016 and thanked his supporters on Instagram, writing: "I want to thank my family and everybody for all your love, support and prayers. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready."

His release marked the beginning of a dramatic career change. Having previously served time for offences including grand theft and forgery, Meeks went on to pursue modelling and acting.

He appeared in films including Trigger, Secret Society and True to the Game 2 and True to the Game 3. He also featured in Russian singer Olga Buzova's Wi-Fi music video.

His modeling career quickly took off, with Meeks securing opportunities to walk for major fashion names including Tommy Hilfiger and Philipp Plein.

Reflecting on his unlikely rise to fame, he told BuzzFeed: "If anyone would've told me 10 years ago that I was gonna be travelling the world, walking in fashion shows, acting in movies? I don't know what I would've done."

Meeks has also been open about the difficult childhood that preceded his criminal past.

During a 2019 appearance on the What's Your Water podcast, he revealed: "Both of my parents were heroin addicts. I was a heroin baby..."

He continued: "My childhood was very dark. My dad committed a murder when I was nine months old and killed my mom's best friend."

Meeks is now preparing to tell his story in greater detail in his forthcoming memoir, Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks.

The book's description traces his journey from a troubled childhood and gang involvement to prison, modelling and Hollywood, promising to explore the events behind the infamous photograph that transformed his life.

Explaining why he wanted to publish the memoir, Meeks told People: "I'm in a place in my life where I am extremely vulnerable and want to tell my story, the whole story and hope that people can connect to it and understand how I came to be in the place that I'm at in my life."

His personal life has also attracted plenty of attention. Meeks was previously married to Melissa Meeks, with whom he shares son Jeremy Jr., before entering a relationship with Chloe Green, the daughter of former Topshop owner Philip Green.

Meeks and Green welcomed their son, Jayden, in 2018 before separating amicably the following year.

Meeks reveals unlikely celibacy

During an interview with Extra in 2020, Meeks said: "I am single. I'm trying to focus on myself."

He also praised his relationships with the mothers of his children, saying: "I have an incredible relationship with Chloe, the mother of my two-year-old. And now I have a relationship with the mother of my oldest son."

"They're in good places. I'm in a good place. We're all co-parenting. They are incredible mothers."

And it appears Meeks remains focused on himself rather than pursuing a new relationship.

In July, the 41-year-old revealed that he has been celibate for "almost three years" while attending the premiere of Dutch III: International Gangster.

Asked about his biggest turn-on, Meeks initially paused before explaining: "I don't have a girl. I've been celibate for almost three years."

When asked why he had chosen to remain celibate, he gave a remarkably simple explanation:

"'Cause I'm not being distracted."

Featured Image Credit: Handout / Getty