Tiger King star Joe Exotic is engaged to man he met in prison

The Tiger King star has found love behind bars. Photo / Netflix

Joe Exotic is engaged.

The Tiger King star - who is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence after being found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin - has found love behind bars with Jorge Marquez, a year after splitting from fiance Seth Posey, but admitted the path to their securing a future together would not be easy.

Exotic shared a photo of them together on his X account and 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.”

The 61-year-old reality star then confirmed the engagement to Entertainment Weekly.

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. pic.twitter.com/MYRVPcy97Y

— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) October 29, 2024

He told them in a phone call from prison: “We filed our official papers for the marriage licence from the prison yesterday, so we’re just waiting for an approval. He has picked out December 12 as the date we’re hoping to get this approved by.”

Exotic - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado - explained the application “has to be approved by the warden and psychiatry and the chaplain” before their licence can be approved.

The former zoo keeper is hopeful this relationship will turn out better than his previous marriages to Dillon Passage, from whom he finalised his divorce in January 2023, and Travis Maldonado, who died in 2017 after accidentally shooting himself.

He said: “We love each other very much, spend every minute of the day together.

“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.”

Exotic is also focusing on an appeal against his conviction and claims he has “tons of evidence”, including “video confessions under oath” of “false testimonies” given in his trial, and “700 phone recordings of federal agents”

He is hoping to receive “solid answers from the appellate court by February” and wants to be able to reunite with his fiance, who is due for release in May, sooner than they have had to plan for.