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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lucy Needham

Tiger King's Joe Exotic 'engaged to prison inmate after finding love behind bars'

Joe Exotic is reportedly engaged after finding love behind bars with a fellow inmate.

The Tiger King star, who was jailed in 2020 for hiring two men to try and kill his rival Carole Baskin, is said to be in a relationship with a man called John Graham.

Prison letters obtained by TMZ reveal Joe met John when they were housed in the same unit.

In a letter sent to his attorney Autumn Blackledge he says it wasn’t long after they met that he and John started seeing each other.

He said he had “fell head over heels” for somebody who he had been “pokey with for the last year.

And it appears John has since popped the question, apparently proposing on August 2 last year – but it has only come to light now.

Joe is serving 21 years in jail for trying to kill Carole Baskin (Handout)

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The Netflix star – who is serving 21 years for his crimes – said new love John is the opposite of ex-husband Dillon Passage, who he is due to divorce.

He described Dillon, who appeared on Tiger King, as “selfish, younger and wanting to be famous”.

Gushing over new love John, he said he is an “old soul about 400 years” who “isn’t seeking the limelight” and “loves him for him”.

He revealed John “practises witchcraft” - and says he keeps one of his shirts so he can smell him when they are apart.

The couple are said to talk constantly and exchange mail nonstop, with Joe saying it’s a “type of love he has never experienced” before.

He even compared their bond to the one between teenager Bella and vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies.

Carole Baskin was Joe Exotic's long-time rival (SplashNews.com)

The former zookeeper, 59 - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - was convicted on wildlife charges and two counts of attempted murder for hire.

Prosecutors claimed he tried to hire two people to kill Baskin - who had criticised his treatment of animals.

His attorneys later argued he wasn't being serious and he sought an appeal for his conviction after being sentenced to 22 years in jail in 2020. A judge later reduced the sentence to 21 years.

Joe, who is understood to have maintained his innocence, was also convicted of wildlife charges, including killing five tigers and selling tiger cubs.

The first season of Tiger King was released on Netflix in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic and was a huge success for the streaming platform. Despite Joe being in prison, Tiger King 2 aired on Netflix in 2021.

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