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Joe Exotic Reportedly Marries Inmate in Prison
Joe Exotic, the controversial figure from the hit Netflix docuseries Tiger King, has reportedly married for the fifth time, this time to a fellow inmate. The news, seemingly announced via a social media post on Monday, April 21, has once again thrust the imprisoned star back into the public spotlight. This marks another chapter in the dramatic life of the former zookeeper, currently incarcerated for a murder-for-hire plot targeting his longtime adversary, Carole Baskin.
Prison Nuptials: Exotic Announces Marriage to Jorge Flores Maldonado
The 62-year-old, legally known as Joseph Maldonado-Passage, shared the marital news on X, formerly Twitter. “Never been more proud of someone. Meet my husband, Jorge Flores Maldonado,” the post declared. Accompanying the announcement was a digitally altered image depicting Exotic and his new spouse, Jorge Marquez, in matching tuxedos. Marquez, who goes by the name Jorge Flores Maldonado, is also an inmate.
Exotic is currently serving a 21-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, stemming from convictions related to a plot to murder animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
A Prison Romance: Engagement Announced Last Year
Details of the budding romance first surfaced in October of the previous year when Exotic initially announced his engagement to Marquez. “Meet Jorge Marquez… he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico,” Exotic shared via social media at that time. He further elaborated on their future plans, stating, “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.”
In an interview conducted via telephone with Entertainment Weekly in October, Exotic verified the engagement. He stated, “We filed our official papers for the marriage license from the prison yesterday, so we’re just waiting for an approval.” Exotic mentioned that their application needed clearance from “the warden and psychiatry and the chaplain” before a marriage license could be granted. He also expressed deep affection, adding, “We love each other very much, spend every minute of the day together.”
Past Marriages: A History of Relationships
Prior to his relationship with Marquez, Exotic was married to Travis Maldonado, who tragically died in October 2017 at the age of 23 due to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot. Following Maldonado’s death, Exotic married Dillon Passage just two months later.
Exotic and Passage separated in 2020, with Passage publicly announcing his intention to divorce the following year. In a social media statement in March 2021, Passage explained, “To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce. 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.”
In March 2022, Exotic’s lawyer, Autumn Beck Blackledge, confirmed to People magazine that the former zookeeper had initiated divorce proceedings.
Legal Battles and Health Concerns
In a November interview, Exotic conveyed his ongoing optimism that his conviction would be overturned, leading to his release from prison.
“My prostate cancer is in remission, [but] they believe I have cancer in my left lung. I have to take it as it comes,” he stated. “I still have faith that I’m going to walk out of here — I just need to live for the next five or six months and hope for the best.”