Tiger King: Joe Exotic’s husband Dillon Passage vows to stand by his spouse – ‘I’m not going anywhere’

‘I’m not going to just abandon him when he needs support’

Joe Exotic’s husband has vowed to stand by his spouse throughout the titular Tiger King’s 22-year prison sentence.

Dillon Passage told People he’s determined to keep supporting his husband – real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage.

Both Passage and Maldonado-Passage are featured in the Netflix documentary Tiger King, which has become a hit since its release on 20 March.

Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years behind bars in January this year, after being convicted on two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, as announced at the time by the Department of Justice.

Passage, who married Maldonado-Passage in 2017, told People of his husband: “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 he “100 per cent” still loves his husband, adding: “He’s just very supportive of everything I do. And he’s always worried and wants me to be happy.”

According to Passage, the pair have discussed the possibility of moving on from the relationship, but he remains committed to the marriage.

“We’ve had that conversation a few times,” Passage told the magazine.

“He’s always said, ‘If you need to move on, you can.’ And I’m just like, ‘I don’t have any intention of doing that.’ I don’t feel the need to go find another partner at this time.”

Tiger King is streaming now on Netflix.