Almost everyone remembers when Tiger King became the biggest discussion topic. Now that Joe Exotic (real name: Joseph Allen Maldonado) is in prison and the buzz about his story died down, he is making headlines once again for his latest marriage. The former Oklahoma zookeeper announced that he married his new husband after they met during incarceration.
Below, get to know Joe’s new husband and learn about his past marriages.
Joe is a media personality and a businessman known for formerly managing Oklahoma’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (a.k.a Tiger King Park). In 2019, Joe was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in the plot to kill his rival Carole Baskin, the founder of Big Cat Rescue. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, but his sentence was reduced to 21 years.
In April 2025, Joe revealed that he married Jorge Marquez, whom he got engaged to in late 2024 while both were incarcerated.
In an X post, Joe tweeted a picture of him and Jorge wearing tuxedos. He wrote, “Never been more proud of someone. Meet my husband Jorge Flores Maldonado.”
On Instagram, Joe shared photos of him and Jorge and made a public plea to Donald Trump to help with his freedom.
