Covid 19 coronavirus: Tiger King star Joe Exotic in 'isolation' in jail

Tiger King gets its claws into the the larger-than-life story of Joe Exotic. Photo / courtesy of Netflix NZH 01Apr20 -

Joe Exotic has been placed in "Covid-19 isolation" in jail.

The Tiger King star - who is serving a 22-year jail sentence for paying a hit man $3000 to kill his enemy Carole Baskin - usually speaks to his husband Dillon Passage "three to five times" a day but, after recently moving from a prison where there were confirmed cases of coronavirus to a new facility, they haven't had any contact.

Speaking to Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show "Radio Andy", Dillon said: "We speak like three to five times every day, but since he's been moved to this new facility, they are putting him on a Covid-19 isolation because of the previous jail he was at, there were cases.

Tiger King gets its claws into the the larger-than-life story of Joe Exotic. Photo / courtesy of Netflix NZH 01Apr20 -

"I've yet to speak to him since he moved."

Asked if Joe - whose real name is Joseph Madonado-Passage - is "in his own Covid-19 quarantine", Dillon clarified: "From what I know, yes."

Joe and Dillon tied the knot in December 2017 after dating for a "little over two weeks".

And Dillon, who was just 22 when they wed, admitted being around tigers was part of the appeal of Joe, now 57.

He said: "I mean, I was in a really bad place when I met Joe.

"I was just going through a lot of things, I was an addict.

"Being around the animals gave me a purpose. It felt like I was actually doing something with my life. It brought me out of my depression. It was like my own little rehab.

"Joe never once encouraged me to do any drugs. I mean, I smoked a lot of weed. But that's literally it."

And though his husband is behind bars, Dillon has vowed to stand by him.

He said: "I do love Joe, he's been there for me through my darkest times and I'm not just going to dip out and abandon him when he needs me most ...

"I am very loyal to Joe. He doesn't want me to be alone, you know. But he also doesn't want me to move on, if that makes sense. He doesn't want me to leave, that's his thing. But I've assured him that I'm not."

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website