‘Tiger King’: Does Joe Exotic Have Coronavirus? Dillon Passage Sets the Record Straight — Again
With coronavirus (COVID-19) cases on the rise, it’s no surprise prisons are a haven for potential cases. Star of the Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), has been in isolation following contact with inmates who may have been infected with the virus. Reports surfaced soon after that Maldonado-Passage caught COVID-19. His fourth husband, Dillon Passage, is setting the record straight.
Joseph Maldonado-Passage was put in isolation
Tiger King has captivated the nation during this strange time known as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With so many of us holed up in our homes, it’s that of the “Tiger King” himself — Joseph Maldonado-Passage — that’s gotten us through.
Earlier this week, prison officials at the Federal Medical Center Forth Worth in Texas put Maldonado-Passage in isolation for individual quarantine. This followed potential contact with those who tested positive for the virus in the prison Maldonado-Passage is being held. He was previously isolated at the Grady County Jail in Chickasha, Oklahoma.
[Dillon] Passage previously told Andy Cohen on Radio Andy that the two typically speak “three to five times a day.” It hasn’t been this way after Maldonado-Passage was moved to isolation. He added that he has yet to speak to him since.
After the interview, reports spread that Maldonado-Passage “could have caught the virus” and had been moved to a medical center.
Does Maldonado-Passage have coronavirus?
Many took to Facebook to question whether Maldonado-Passage was, in fact, infected with COVID-19, or not. Passage posted a message on his husband’s page to clear things up after that Cohen interview.
“Joe DOES NOT have the COVID-19 virus, he’s in a 14-day quarantine because he was transferred from another facility,” he said.
A Grady County staff member simply told The Post, “He is no longer here at this facility.”
‘Joe Exotic’ is serving a 22-year sentence but still loves his fans
Despite serving a 22-year sentence for falsifying wildlife records, violating the Endangered Species Act, and federal charges for a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Big Cat Rescue founder and longtime rival, Carole Baskin, Maldonado-Passage is living his best life post-Tiger King’s release
“Joe Exotic” filed a lawsuit seeking $94 million in damages from multiple sources, including ex-partner, Jeff Lowe. He called for a presidential pardon, but that remains to be seen.
That said, [Dillon] Passage included Maldonado-Passage’s Fort Worth, Texas prison address with screenshots, “regarding sending him money either through the mail or online.” It’s unclear what the money will be used for, aside from legal fees (for which he is representing himself).
Just add that to the already thick stack of Tiger King asides to sort through. For now, Maldonado-Passage is COVID-19-free and in 22 years, he’ll be physically free…unless that pardon comes through.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is available on Netflix now.
