“Tiger King” star Joe Exotic, also known as Joseph Maldonado-Passage, recently shared details on how he found love behind bars not long after his divorce filing from estranged husband Dillon Passage.
Exotic, who gained stardom with the release of Netflix’s hit series centered on the bizarre underworld of big cat breeding, compared his new relationship to the iconic vampire-themed romance fantasy film “Twilight,” according to TMZ.
Exotic was sentenced to 21 years in prison on charges of animal abuse and attempted murder for hire after allegedly plotting to kill his competitor, Carole Baskin.
Despite being locked down, Exotic, 59, said he’s found love and even proposed to a fellow inmate, John Graham. They are now engaged, TMZ reported.
In a letter to attorney Autumn Beck Blackledge obtained by TMZ, Exotic shed light on his new courtship, sharing how he met his “extremely romantic and caring” partner after they were both housed in the same prison unit.
According to the letter, Exotic said he got engaged to Graham last August after being involved with him for over a year.
“If you ever watched ‘Twilight,’ it’s as close as that,” Exotic wrote in the letter describing their relationship, which he calls a “fast attraction.”
Graham has reportedly since left prison, but the soon-to-be-married couple continue to write to each other multiple times a week and “talk on the phone 3 times a day,” according to the TV personality.
“John talks like he is from 400 years ago,” Exotic wrote. “He is a practicing witch and is extremely romantic and caring. The love we share is like no other I’ve ever experienced.”
Exotic filed for divorce from Passage last month in Santa Rosa County, Florida, just one year after Passage shared they parted ways after four years of marriage.