If you haven’t already heard, Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has to be the best thing to come out of 2020 so far.

Because if something can take our mind off this global pandemic, it’s a docuseries about a self-described “gay, gun-toting cowboy with a mullet”.

Watch the trailer for Tiger King here. Post continues below.

The series focuses on Joe Exotic, his zoo, his vendetta against Carole Baskin, and his romantic relationships with younger men (among so many other things like a man doing an interview in a bathtub etc etc).

The series focuses on two of Exotic's relationships. The first, when he was married to both Travis Maldonado and John Finlay in 2014. And the second, when he married Dillon Passage in 2017. Although he is now serving time in federal prison, Exotic is still married to Passage.

Here is how their relationship began and what their marriage looks like now.

How they met and got married

Joe Exotic met Dillion Passage on a dating app in 2017, and the two married just months later on December 11, 2017, at a small, intimate ceremony. Passage was 24 years old, while Exotic was 54.

“I never figured I’d marry Joe Exotic. I had no idea who he was. I never Googled him or anything," Passage shared during an interview with People.

When discussing marrying someone 30 years his senior, Passage told US Weekly, “I like older guys! Maybe I have daddy issues, who knows?

“Joe was just super down to earth and he didn’t act like a 55-year-old [when we met]. He had the energy of a 25-year-old. He was fun to be around and that’s really all that mattered to me.”

Exotic who had previously been married to both Maldonado and Finlay, had lost Maldonado only months earlier when he accidentally shot himself in the head.

Maldonado's mother attended Exotic's wedding to Passage.

Despite this being a fresh, devastating moment in the newlywed's lives, Passage explained the two of them spoke about the tragedy openly. And, not only was Exotic battling this event but Passage had his own demons too.

“Joe had a long conversation with me whenever he proposed. He was like, ‘I need somebody who’s going to be here for me. You may not be in love with me right now, but you will be',” Passage told US Weekly.

“I was in a bad place in my life and Joe really was helping me out and getting me healthy. And it was good to have somebody who I felt could take my loneliness away and bring me out of my depression and be there for me no matter what. And Joe made me feel like that.

“He would talk about Travis a lot and then he’d apologise to me and I’m like, ‘No, like there’s no need for you to apologise. You know, this is something that was very traumatic to you and Travis was very special, so I want you to be able to talk to me about how you feel," shared Passage.

When Joe Exotic went to prison

Less than a year after their wedding, Exotic was arrested for attempting to hire someone to murder his arch nemesis, Carole Baskin. Six months later, he was convicted on two counts of murder for hire and nine violations of the Endangered Species Act and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.

However, he and Passage remain together and strong.

“I’m not going anywhere. Joe was there for me in my darkest moments. I’m not going to just abandon him when he needs support more than anything," Passage said.

Their relationship now

Despite Exotic being behind bars, the two are trying to maintain a strong marriage as much as possible. They have even discussed opening the marriage up to other people.

“He’s like, ‘I don’t want you to be alone. I know how hard it is.’ And I’m just like, ‘You know, I don’t need anybody to do that right now. I’m kind of focusing on me and what life has to throw at me.

“I’ve been through a lot. I’m only 24 years old. Nobody ever would have expected that this would happen or that, you know, my life would be this way. But he said, you know, ‘If you ever find somebody that is important to you and you think that you need to move on, I’d be OK with letting you do that,'” Passage told US Weekly.

But until then, Passage lives in Florida where the two previously resided together and he shares updates on his Instagram about how Exotic is doing in prison.

Most recently, he said Happy Easter to all of his followers and said thank you for all the letters.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Special Easter greeting from Joe by @dillert_lclm Check highlights

A post shared by Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) on Apr 12, 2020 at 4:40pm PDT

It seems the couple are happy despite the circumstances.

Read more:

• "He treated his son worse." Everything we know about Joe Exotic's 'secret son' Brandon.
• 'Seems like an ad for AirPods.' The 25 best reactions to Netflix's new Tiger King episode.
• After Tiger King, Carole Baskin became the world's most hated woman. This is what her life looks like now.

Feature image: Supplied/Netflix.