Where Is John Finlay, Joe Exotic's Husband on 'Tiger King', Now?

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(Image credit: Netflix)

published 29 March 2020

Spoilers for Tiger King ahead. John Finlay, the second husband of "Joe Exotic" (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), is a fan favorite on Netflix's Tiger King docuseries, which dropped March 20. In case you're not familiar: The docuseries follows Joe Exotic, who owned a makeshift zoo on his property that included up to 90 tigers and 1,000 animals at one point. Exotic is a compelling character: Openly gay, married to four different people, a candidate for Oklahoma governor and president, convicted and currently serving time for charges of animal abuse and hiring someone to murder an animal rights activist. Finlay, who speaks openly about Exotic and their relationship, was Exotic's second husband—they also brought a third person into the marriage, which I'll get into below—but is no longer married to him. He's coming out of the series as a likable figure, and fans are dying to know: What happened to him?

Who is John Finlay?

Finlay worked at Joe Exotic's zoo, and the two connected romantically in 2003 (Exotic's first husband, Brian Rhyne, died from HIV complications in 2001). They had a complicated relationship, as the show makes clear.

Finlay is missing many of his teeth, likely because, as he admits, he used meth. Also, lots of fans of the show absolutely love how quiet and kind he comes off, which—obviously—runs somewhat counter to Exotic's persona and behavior.

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In terms of their relationship, I'm just gonna quote Newsweek here:

After numerous attempts to open up their relationship to a third person (as Finlay discusses early in the Netflix documentary), they formed a throuple with another young and troubled worker at the farm, Travis Maldonado. The pair married in 2014, in a ceremony seen in Tiger King (and which can be seen in full on Joe's YouTube page), though Maldonado and Exotic eventually remarried as a twosome when Finlay got a fellow worker at the animal park pregnant and left the marriage.

Here's a still from the wedding:

Sadly, Maldonado died not long afterwards in a gun accident.

What is Finlay doing now?

Robert Moor, author and podcaster on Joe Exotic, had originally tweeted some good news about Finlay but had to modify it after Finlay asked him to take it down. (I think Finlay objected to the picture of him, not the good news.) Moor had written: "I see a lot of people asking about John, Joe’s ex-husband. He texted me a few months back to let me know he got a new job as a welder. And a whole new set of pearly whites!"

Based on that tiny piece of info, it sounds like he's doing all right. I can't find Finlay on public social media anywhere and he appears to be keeping a low profile—following the docuseries, it appears that he's deliberately staying under the radar—but it seems like a small piece of good news that Finlay is thriving after all of this.

Has Joe Finlay fixed his teeth?

It was impossible to watch Finlay's interviews in Tiger King and not notice his teeth, many of which were missing, presumably as a result of Finlay's use of methamphetamines.

Since Tiger King premiered, photos of Finlay's new and improved smile have been going viral. According to TMZ, Finlay actually had his teeth redone in a single session in July 2019 and claims that, although the Tiger King producers had footage of him filmed after his dental work was complete, they chose not to use it.

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"Yes I have my teeth fixed," Finlay wrote on Facebook, according to Us Weekly. "The producers of the Netflix series had video and pictures of this, but chose not to show it."

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.