‘Tiger King’ Star Dillon Passage Has Big Plans. They Don’t All Include Husband Joe Exotic

Every story line of the Netflix docuseries Tiger King is chock-full of twists, and zoo owner Joe Maldonado-Passage’s turbulent love life is no exception. Viewers learn about Joe Exotic’s four marriages, including his polyamorous relationship with husbands John Finlay and Travis Maldonado. After his split from Finlay and Maldonado’s death, cameras roll as Joe takes Dillon Passage out on their first date; the pair weds mere weeks later.

Life has changed dramatically for the 24-year-old Passage in the few brief years he’s known his 57-year-old husband. Passage recently chatted with Playboy via Zoom to give an update on his relationship with Joe Exotic, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for numerous wildlife-law violations and a murder plot. Dillon discusses his arrangement with Joe regarding potential future partners, the “perverted” messages he’s received and his plan to ensure that people don’t know him solely as “Joe Exotic’s husband.”

PLAYBOY: What’s your life like right now?

PASSAGE: It is absolutely insane. Nobody really thought Tiger King was going to be this big, not even the producers. It wouldn’t have been this big if it weren’t for the quarantine.

PLAYBOY: How have the people close to you reacted to everything?

PASSAGE: When Joe was arrested in 2018, my family and friends were like, “I can’t believe you’re involved in that.” But after watching, everyone is like, “He was totally set up.” I know 100 percent that it was all set up by Jeff Lowe because he wanted the zoo.

My family was always super supportive of our relationship. They definitely thought we were jumping the gun with the marriage, but once they got to know Joe, they really respected him. I quit college during the second semester of my senior year, and I was addicted to Xanax at 21. When I met Joe at 22, he kept me away from all that. That’s how I grew to love him. Obviously, I then came to realize there were things he was hiding from me.

PLAYBOY: What was he hiding?

PASSAGE: Everything that led up to the arrest. It was hard to let it sink in that he put me in this position. I don’t blame him, because I’ve learned a lot from it, and I’ve become a different person. I never really cared to be involved in Joe’s business—all the legal aspects to it, or the stuff with Carole—because that was his business. Even with the initial arrest, the officers wouldn’t tell me why he was getting arrested. I had to find out at the mediation later that day.

PLAYBOY: Which emotions did you experience?

PASSAGE: At first I was shocked and pissed off. But after getting more details, I understood—not that I agree with any of it, but I understood that Joe was taken advantage of when Travis passed away. That was when he was first confronted with “Hey, I have somebody who can take Carole out.” Then my anger went away, and it was more sorrow. Nobody wants to lose their life over something so minuscule. He may have had a lot of anger toward Carole, but that was definitely misused against him. I mean, he’s lost a lot of people in his life. So just thinking about being in the shoes of the people who love Carole, I don’t think he’d want to put anybody through that.

PLAYBOY: Do you think Joe was trying to protect you by keeping you in the dark?

PASSAGE: Definitely, because of our prenup. I signed a prenup, and it basically said that I wouldn’t be involved in any legal aspects of Joe’s life. I also knew that he had multiple lawsuits against him.

PLAYBOY: Was it a tough decision to sign a prenup?

PASSAGE: Not at all. He put it in front of me, I read it over and I signed it. That’s what people always assume: “You wanted his stuff.” I didn’t want anything from Joe, except to be at the zoo and to be healthy. Joe even admits he had absolutely no money. I do love him, but it took me a little while. When we got married, I wasn’t in love with him, and it was no secret.

PLAYBOY: Why did you get married if you didn’t love him?

PASSAGE: He proposed to me, and it was more about companionship. He said, “You’re in a really dark place, and I’m helping to keep you out of there.” He was super lonely. He had recently lost Travis, and he just wanted a companion. He let me move at my own pace and never rushed anything. So I knew he really did care about me, and that was admirable. He gave me a purpose, because I was literally in the darkest place of my life. I wanted to commit suicide a few times, but by being around the animals and taking care of their lives, that gave me a reason to keep going. I can never thank Joe enough for that.

PLAYBOY: Was your relationship intimate right away, or did that take some time?

PASSAGE: No, Joe never rushed me to do anything. He let me move at my own pace. Eventually it was intimate, but it wasn’t immediate. We were together for companionship, and he just really wanted to get married, and I was like, “Okay, let’s do it.”

PLAYBOY: Clearly Joe has a type.

PASSAGE: Obviously, young guys. It’s no secret.

PLAYBOY: What is it about him that appeals to young men?

PASSAGE: What brought me into Joe was his charisma and his energy. Off-camera, he was just this sweet, romantic, caring guy. Joe got me a car once, but that was about it, and I hadn’t asked him for it. We were driving to Walmart one day, and there was a nice little Mustang over there. I was like, “Oh, that’s nice.” A week later, he’s like, “Come outside,” and there’s this fricking black Mustang. It was my first car.

PLAYBOY: It’s implied on the show that John and Travis identified as straight. Did they?

PASSAGE: John is bisexual. He likes girls, but he definitely likes guys. There’s way too much proof of that. I’d never met Travis, but from what I hear, he was straight. He just undeniably loved Joe. I don’t think you have to necessarily be gay to have a relationship like that.

PLAYBOY: How do you identify?

PASSAGE: Oh, I’m gay. Everyone was super accepting except for my biological father. I told him I was gay, and he sent me back to live with my mom, which wasn’t an issue. My mom was super cool about it, and so was my stepdad.

PLAYBOY: It must be weird to have people filming your first date with Joe.

PASSAGE: Oh yeah. I walk out of the house, and all these camera people are here, and Joe’s like, “Don’t worry about that. They’re just filming something for me.” I didn’t agree to it at first, but I was okay with it after a bit. All I wanted to do was take care of the animals. I only had like two minutes of screen time, and I’m perfectly fine with that because it was so cringe-worthy to watch myself on screen.

PLAYBOY: Drug use is certainly discussed on the show. Was that a part of your life with Joe?

PASSAGE: No, Joe kept me away from that. I know that Travis and John and all of them used to do that back in the day, but no, the main reason I fell in love with Joe was he kept me away from all that. I smoke a lot of pot, don’t get me wrong, but that’s about it.

PLAYBOY: Travis’s mom doesn’t seem happy with elements of Travis’s funeral, which is part of the show, or with your marriage. Do you understand where she’s coming from?

PASSAGE: That was weird to me because Cheryl was always super sweet to me. The first time she met me, she gave me a big hug and said, “Oh my God! You remind me so much of Travis.” But she was also in a really dark place. It’s a difficult situation to talk about because that was a completely different side of her. She was always really excited to see me with Joe and would say, “You’re making him so happy. I haven’t seen him like this since Travis.”

PLAYBOY: How were things between you and John?

PASSAGE: It was definitely weird. I didn’t really interact with him too much, but he walked around the zoo like he was entitled. He had cheated on Joe with a lady who worked on park and got her pregnant, and Joe was basically raising their daughter. I felt like Joe was just constantly being taken advantage of.

PLAYBOY: Did you have an open relationship with Joe?

PASSAGE: No, it was strictly just Joe and me. But since he’s been in jail, he’s told me, “I don’t want you to be lonely forever. So if you ever find somebody you want to spend the rest of your life with, I will completely support you in that.”

PLAYBOY: Now that you’re famous, I imagine people are expressing interest in you. Have you been dealing with that?

PASSAGE: A lot of people have been perverted, sending me disgusting and basic messages on Instagram and e-mail. It’s weird because I’ve never been that guy who people want to get with. This isn’t me talking myself up or anything, but I’d always been below average until I was 21. That’s when I had the glow-up. So I haven’t taken any of these offers. People are trying to buy me, and I’m like, “No!”

PLAYBOY: How often do you speak with Joe?

PASSAGE: When he was in jail in Oklahoma we talked three to five times every single day through phone, e-mail and this inmate FaceTime app called HomeWAV. Since he was moved to the medical facility in Fort Worth for quarantine, I’ve heard from him only two times because he doesn’t have as much phone privilege right now. Thankfully, he’ll be out of his quarantine period pretty soon.

PLAYBOY: Even Trump weighed in on Joe during a press conference.

PASSAGE: Trump blew it off as a little joke, in my opinion, but that’s also just his personality. I don’t really care for politics, but Joe’s a huge Trump fan. He was super excited to hear that the president even said his name.

PLAYBOY: The filmmakers have said that Joe is racist. Did you see that side of him?

PASSAGE: Joe never acted like a racist around me. He had people of all ethnicities working at the park and as his friends. He may say some stupid stuff sometimes, but that’s just Joe. I didn’t think he was a racist, and I still don’t.

PLAYBOY: At this point, what’s your hope for your relationship?

PASSAGE: What I’m really hoping for is to have Joe get out of jail. Maybe he is guilty of things in some aspects, but 22 years is just too much. He doesn’t deserve to die in prison.

PLAYBOY: Why weren’t you involved in the reunion special?

PASSAGE: I was e-mailed about it. I actually grew really close to Eric [Goode] and Rebecca [Chaiklin], the directors who did the first seven episodes. Netflix used a new production company for the reunion show, and I just didn’t think it was fair for this other group to come in and ride the wave of success. I didn’t want anything to do with that.

PLAYBOY: You were working as a bartender in Florida prior to the quarantine. Are you getting new job opportunities thanks to your sudden fame?

PASSAGE: A lot of opportunities are coming to the surface, and when this quarantine is over, there could be some big things happening.

PLAYBOY: I’m guessing a reality show?

PASSAGE: Possibly, yeah. That would be a lot of fun. But my main goal through all this is really to just make a name for myself. Don’t get me wrong—I love Joe, but I don’t want to be known as Joe Exotic’s husband for the rest of my life. When people see me, I want them to go, “Oh, that’s Dillon—that’s Dillon Passage.”

PLAYBOY: Have you given any thought to who should play Joe or you in a Hollywood film?

PASSAGE: Joe is such a crazy character. I don’t know if anybody will really be able to capture that. But to play me, definitely Zac Efron.

PLAYBOY: He would go from playing Ted Bundy to playing you.

PASSAGE: [Laughs] I mostly say that just because I want to meet him.

PLAYBOY: It must be tough for Joe to be missing out on his moment in the sun.

PASSAGE: He gets a lot of fan mail, so he knows that people are on his side and that he has support out here. He just had to get arrested to get the spotlight he wanted.