'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's Husband Is Breaking Up With Him

The Tiger King is losing his Tiger Queen. 

Dillon Passage announced on Instagram that he's splitting up from his husband, Joe Exotic. 

The two married in December of 2017, two months after Exotic’s previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died in a self-inflicted, accidental shooting. Just nine months later in September of 2018,  Exotic went to prison to serve a 22-year sentence for ordering a hitman to murder his archnemesis, Carole Baskin.

Last year, after the Netflix docu-series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness became a cultural phenomenon, Passage proudly stood beside his man (figuratively speaking, since Exotic was in jail) and shared details of their marriage with the world. 

They've since called it quits. 

Passage wrote: 

In November of 2017 I met Joe who was there for me during a difficult time in my life. After just 9 short months he was arrested and, for the last two and a half years, we have been apart. I’ve always stood by his side and will continue to always love and support him.

When Tiger King was released on Netflix a year ago, my life was thrown into a world of media and public attention. Something that was completely foreign to me. I felt as if I had a microscope constantly looming over me which was and still is incredibly uncomfortable. With everyone pulling me in different directions, I found my manager @jefftduncan who, despite Joe’s recent social media tirades against, has always acted in my best interest and helped me navigate the complexity of the new situation I found myself in.

I don’t feel obligated to explain to the world what occurs in my personal life and, despite Joe taking to social media to air every grievance, I don’t feel it’s the healthiest way to handle private matters between two people. I therefore don’t intend to post any more on this subject.

To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce. This wasn’t an easy decision to make but Joe and I both understand that this situation isn’t fair to either of us. It’s something that neither of us were expecting but we are going to take it day by day. We are on good terms still and I hope it can stay that way. I will continue to have Joe in my life and do my best to support him while he undergoes further legal battles to better his situation.

Like I said in my last post, be careful of the assumptions you place on others. Everyone carries a challenge or burden you may not see. This is as true for me as it may be for you.

According to Exotic’s attorney Francisco Hernandez, who spoke with TMZ about the matter, Exotic was "distraught" receiving the phone call in prison. "After the emotional phone call, Joe fired off an email to a friend...saying he feels abandoned and alone and just wanted to mean something to someone." But after some time to reflect, "Exotic’s considering beating him to court, and filing a divorce petition before Dillon can."

Passage was Exotic's 4th husband.