NEED TO KNOW
Jeremy Meeks, who first gained widespread fame when his mugshot went viral years in the past, says strangers took his customer slots in jail, stopping his household from seeing him
Meeks, 42, stated throughout an episode on Matthew Cox’s podcast “Inside True Crime” that he acquired lots of of letters each day, together with cash orders and photographs, whereas serving time on felony gun prices
Meeks first gained fame again in 2014 when his mugshot went viral due to his piercing blue eyes and chiseled cheekbones
Jeremy Meeks, who first gained widespread consideration when his mugshot went viral years in the past, says fame disrupted his jail time, with strangers taking customer passes and blocking household visits.
Throughout an episode of Matthew Cox’s podcast, “Inside True Crime,” which was printed on Sunday, March 22, Meeks, 42, described how the eye affected him whereas he was behind bars on the Sacramento County Jail. Although he was restricted to 2 visits per week, he stated these spots have been typically taken by folks he didn’t know.
“I am getting random folks visiting me and I am denying them earlier than I even stroll up the steps into the part and I am like, ‘I do not know who that particular person is!’ I might see him by the glass. I am like, ‘I do not know who that particular person is!’”
He provides, “They’re like, ‘Effectively, I am nonetheless taking your go to. You may deny it, however I am nonetheless going to take your go to for the week.’ So now my household cannot come as a result of I bought f—ing random folks coming to see me and it was so irritating.”
Reflecting on the aftermath, Meeks stated he was receiving “in all probability 300 letters a day,” including, “It was simply an excessive amount of. I’m getting bare photos, cash orders — simply every kind of cash being despatched in.”
Meeks first gained fame again in 2014 when his mugshot went viral due to his piercing blue eyes and chiseled cheekbones, incomes him the nicknames “Sizzling Felon” and “Jail Bae.” After serving 13 months on felony gun prices, he signed with a modeling company and rapidly broke into the style world. Meeks has additionally acted in a number of initiatives.
Jeremy Meeks in 2025.
Credit score: Andreas Rentz/Getty
Wish to sustain with the most recent crime protection? Join PEOPLE’s free True Crime e-newsletter for breaking crime information, ongoing trial protection and particulars of intriguing unsolved circumstances.
Previous to going viral, Meeks spent over 10 years in juvenile detention and jail for numerous crimes. In 2024, Meeks launched an autobiography about his journey. Reflecting on his life after jail, he informed BuzzFeed in 2020, “It’s been a wild, wild experience, however I’m so grateful. I’m not taking something with no consideration.”
Meeks is a father of two boys. He first turned a dad along with his ex-wife, Melissa Meeks, welcoming their son Jeremy Jr. He later had a second son, Jayden, with Topshop heiress Chloe Inexperienced in 2018.
Meeks informed PEOPLE in April 2024 that he was single after ending his two-year-long relationship with Inexperienced in 2019. “I’m single. I am making an attempt to deal with myself,” he stated.
Later, in August 2025, he shared with Complicated that he had been celibate for 3 years.
Learn the unique article on Folks


