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Jeremy Meeks, who first gained widespread fame several years ago when his photos went viral, says strangers took away his visitation rights in prison and prevented his family from seeing him
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Meeks, 42, told an episode of Matthew Cox’s podcast “Inside True Crime” that he received hundreds of letters a day, including money orders and photos, while serving time on a felony firearms charge.
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Meeks first rose to fame in 2014 when photos of him went viral for his piercing blue eyes and chiseled cheekbones
Jeremy Meeks, who first came to widespread attention several years ago when his photos went viral, said fame disrupted his life in prison, with strangers taking away visitor passes and preventing family visits.
In an episode of Matthew Cox’s podcast Inside True Crime released on Sunday, March 22, Meeks, 42, described how the attention he received while incarcerated in the Sacramento County Jail affected him. Although he can only visit twice a week, he said the spots are often occupied by people he doesn’t know.
“Random people came to visit me, but I turned them away before I even walked up the stairs into the area and I was like, ‘I don’t know who that person is!’ I could see him through the glass. I was like, ‘I don’t know who that person is!'”
He added, “They’re like, ‘Well, I’m still going to have your visit. You can deny it, but I’m still going to have your visit for a week.'” So now my family can’t come because random people come to see me, and it’s so frustrating. “
Recalling the aftermath, Meeks said he received “probably 300 letters a day,” adding, “It was just too much. I got nude photos, money orders — all kinds of money.”
Meeks first rose to fame in 2014 when photos of him went viral for his piercing blue eyes and chiseled cheekbones, earning him the nicknames “Sexy Felon” and “Jailhouse Bae.” After serving 13 months in prison for a felony firearm charge, he signed with a modeling agency and quickly broke into the fashion world. Meeks has also worked on several projects.
Jeremy Meeks 2025.
Photo credit: Andreas Lenz/Getty
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Before becoming popular, Meeks spent more than 10 years in juvenile detention centers and prison for various crimes. In 2024, Meeks published an autobiography about his journey. Looking back on his life after prison, he told BuzzFeed in 2020, “It’s been a very, very crazy journey, but I’m very grateful. I don’t take anything for granted.”
Meeks is the father of two boys. He and ex-wife Melissa Meeks became a father for the first time, welcoming their son Jeremy Jr. He then gave birth to his second son, Jayden, with Topshop heiress Chloe Green in 2018.
Meeks told People in April 2024 that he was single after ending his two-year relationship with Green in 2019. “I’m single. I’m trying to focus on myself,” he said.
Later, in August 2025, he revealed to Complex that he had been abstinent for three years.
Read the original article on People
