Joe Exotic And Second Husband Dillon Passage Finalize Almost Year-Long Divorce

"Tiger King" star Joe Exotic has finally rounded off his divorce from his second husband, Dillon Passage. The couple got married in December 2017, just months after the reality star's previous husband, Travis Maldonado passed away at age 23.

Months after the wedding, Exotic was arrested and found guilty of animal cruelty and sending assassins the way of Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin. He was convicted of two counts of attempted murder for hire in addition to 17 federal animal abuse charges.

The reality star was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison in January 2020; however, he was able to reduce it to 21 years. The former couple reportedly started having issues in their relationship in March 2021 when Exotic was informed of Passage's intention to leave him.

Keep on reading to learn more.

According to TMZ-obtained court documents, Exotic and Passage have officially dissolved their marriage almost a year after the divorce was filed by the "Tiger King" star. The divorce was signed off by a judge in Santa Rosa County, Florida, earlier this week.

The reality star initially filed for divorce, stating that the marriage between the duo was "irretrievably broken." The former couple was estranged and on bad terms prior to the filing, and both seemed to have moved on with their various beaus.

While filing his divorce, Exotic asked that a lump sum be issued to him in alimony. The convicted felon also requested that his name be restored from Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage to Joseph Allen Maldonado. His name was changed after the divorce was finalized.

The couple has no children together, and an agreed-upon settlement concluded the proceedings. Exotic was represented by his attorney Autumn Beck Blackledge.

Prior to the recent news, Exotic and Passage had taken to social media to announce that the end of their marriage was finally within sight. The reality star posted a tweet last week that read, "Just waiting on the final order from the judge." It also had the hashtags #JoeExotic and #Divorce.

Passage on his end also shared a picture of himself on Instagram last Tuesday with a peace sign. In the post's caption, he stated that Exotic had finally signed the papers, and he felt "free." "WOOHOO! I don't think anybody can understand the excitement I feel today! Divorce papers have finally been signed by the other party, and I FEEL SO FREE!' Passage wrote.

The social media personality continued, "It's been a battle and tens of thousands of dollars spent over the past year and a half trying to be released from my own kind of prison, but it was all so worth it!"

"Excited to move forward with my life and with my amazing partner John @devarti_j who supports me in all things! Next step: engineering school!" the social media star concluded.

After Exotic's 2020 conviction, the couple started having issues in March 2021. Passage had reportedly told the reality star that he wanted to file for divorce, and Exotic did not take it well.

Passage also made a since-deleted post on Instagram where he informed the public that he intended to seek divorce from his then-husband. He, however, claimed that they were still on good terms. "To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce," he wrote.

"This wasn't an easy decision to make, but Joe and I both understand that this situation isn't fair to either of us … 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."

Despite Passage's post, TMZ revealed that Exotic was upset about the divorce request and considered bearing his ex-husband to court to file the papers. Per Page Six, the news outlet stated that "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."

Exotic eventually filed for divorce from Passage in late March 2022, and by that time, the social media personality was already involved in another relationship.

He also had his stint with other people and, late last year was seriously involved with a fellow inmate, John Graham. The duo almost tied the knot; however, Graham parted ways with him after his release from prison.