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Joe Exotic, currently serving a 21-year prison sentence on multiple charges, has announced his marriage to a fellow inmate, Jorge Flores Maldonado. Born Joseph Allen Maldonado, the former zookeeper shared an AI-generated image of him with his new husband on his social media accounts on April 22, 2025, revealing their marriage.
Joe Exotic, 62, is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth for murder-for-hire, violations of the Endangered Species Act, and falsifying wildlife records. Joe was convicted in 2020 after he tried to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Exotic met Jorge in prison, where Jorge was incarcerated for entering the United States illegally.
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Joe got fame from Tiger King, a Netflix documentary showing the life of a former zookeeper and his rivalry with Carole Baskin.
Joe Exotic announced his relationship with Jorge in 2024
Exotic unveiled his relationship with his husband in October last year when he posted on X after his engagement. He wrote,
"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."
He also shared details about his love in a conversation with Fox News last year.
"From the very day we met, we've spent every minute of every day together. And it just clicked so fast and so sincere, and it's amazing."
Joe filed official papers for marriage in November, which he confirmed in various interviews. The Tiger King fame has finally tied the knot with Jorge, which he revealed through April 22 posts on Instagram and X.
A glance at the life of Joe Exotic
A former police chief and country musician, Joe Exotic established a private zoo named Garold Wayne Exotic Memorial Animal Park, which he operated till 2018. He is known for his association with big cats. At times, he faced opposition from Carole Baskin for alleged abuse of big cats.
In 2019, Joe Exotic was found guilty on a federal charge of murder-for-hire when he tried to hire two people, including an undercover FBI agent, to kill Baskin. The jury also found him guilty of wildlife law violations, including the killing of five tigers. However, Joe argued that he killed big felines to end their suffering.
Talking about his love life, Joe has been married five times, including a three-way marriage. He divorced Dillon Passage in 2022, whom he married two months after the death of his previous partner, Travis Maldonado.
Joe asked for a presidential pardon on the grounds of illness when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021. On these grounds, his sentence was reduced from 22 to 21 years. He recently revealed that he has cancer in his left lung and wants to get out of prison.
Recently, Joe Exotic urged President Trump for a pardon through an Instagram post, which he captioned:
"He has gotten me through so much fighting cancer under these conditions. All I pray to God for is Trump woll allow me to enjoy a little life outside with him before it's too late. I love you Jorge you are my life. @realdonaldtrump."
Joe Exotic gained much public attention through the Netflix documentary. However, he said the documentary exaggerated some events. He also filed some lawsuits against the series for copyright infringements of his songs.
