What Happened to Dillon Passage, Joe Exotic's Husband on 'Tiger King'?

Who is Dillon Passage?Are Dillon Passage and Joe Exotic still together?Is Dillon Passage on Instagram?

Spoilers for Tiger King ahead. Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage) is the eccentric figure at the center of Netflix's newest docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. In addition to running a makeshift zoo of exotic animals (most notably, of course, tigers), Exotic is an open polygamist who has had five husbands over the years. At the time of his arrest and conviction at the end of Tiger King, Exotic had just one spouse, Dillon Passage.

While Tiger King viewers know that Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after being convicted of several crimes, including a murder-for-hire plot to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin, the documentary left the state of its lead's most recent marriage—and the fate of his husband, Passage—unclear. Here's what happened to Dillon Passage after the events of Tiger King.

Who is Dillon Passage?

Dillon Passage is Joe Exotic's fifth husband, the third featured in the Tiger King series. Exotic's third and fourth marriages, to John Finlay and Travis Maldonado, were simultaneous, ending with Finlay leaving the union for another relationship, and Maldonado's death after he accidentally shot himself in the head during an attempt to prove that his weapon would not shoot without its magazine.

In December 2017, two months (59 days, to be exact) after Maldonado's death, Exotic married Passage. Little is known about Passage's life before his relationship with Exotic. We do know that he's originally from Austin, he was living on an air mattress prior to meeting Exotic, and that Exotic believes he was sent from a higher power to save him from dying by suicide after Maldonado's death.

"His energy is just so strong, and when he proposed to me it was just something I couldn't think about," Passage said of Exotic during an interview for Tiger King.

Are Dillon Passage and Joe Exotic still together?

As of 2019, the Daily Beast reported that Exotic and Passage were still married and, in the final segments of Tiger King (which were filmed in January 2020), this appeared to still be the case.

Is Dillon Passage on Instagram?

The Joe Exotic Instagram account follows 994 accounts, exactly one of which includes the name "Dillon" in their display name. That account is @dillert_lclm, the same account tagged in photos of Dillon that the Joe Exotic account shared.

The @dillert_lclm account is still active, and posted as recently as Thursday, writing, "Y’all have been by my side since day 1, no judgements, just love and support. These are my people. I appreciate you guys so much 🤟🏽 ft our doggos and Courtney’s banana 🍌," along with a group picture.

The account has also been sharing recent photos and selfies of a man who appears to be Dillon Passage.

Although the account doesn't feature pictures of Exotic, there are several photos and video clips of tiger cubs, which Passage certain had access to before Exotic's arrest.

If the most recent 'Grams on this account are any indication, Dillon Passage is hanging in there in the wake of the Tiger King series and leaning on friends.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here