Joe Exotic and Dillon Passage’s marriage is coming to an end.
Passage, 25, revealed on Friday that he and the Tiger King star are “seeking a divorce” after three years of marriage. Joe Exotic, or Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison.
“To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce,” Passage wrote on his Instagram on Friday. “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. We are on good terms still and I hope it can stay that way. I will continue to have Joe in my life and do my best to support him while he undergoes further legal battles to better his situation.”
Passage and Joe Exotic got married on Dec. 11, 2017. Their nuptials came two months after Joe Exotic’s previous husband, Travis Maldonado, accidentally shot himself and died.
Passage first began his lengthy note by sharing, “In November of 2017 I met Joe who was there for me during a difficult time in my life. After just 9 short months he was arrested and, for the last two and a half years, we have been apart. I’ve always stood by his side and will continue to always love and support him.”
He continued that after Tiger King was released his “life was thrown into a world of media and public attention. Something that was completely foreign to me. I felt as if I had a microscope constantly looming over me which was and still is incredibly uncomfortable. With everyone pulling me in different directions.”
Passage added that he doesn’t “feel obligated” to explain to the world what happens in his personal life, “despite Joe taking to social media to air every grievance.” He noted that it’s not “the healthiest way to handle private matters between two people. I therefore don’t intend to post any more on this subject.”
Passage and Joe Exotic’s life was shown in the 2020 Netflix docuseries. In 2019, Joe was convicted of plotting a murder-for-hire against Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin, among other charges. As of March 2020, he is incarcerated at FMC Fort Worth in Texas and in June 2020, Carole received control of Joe’s zoo property.
