‘World’s hottest felon’ issued message to public after prison release despite 'dark reality of fame'

Here is how the 'world's hottest felon' reacted to his viral fame after being released from prison.

In 2014 a police department in California released the mugshot of a man named Jeremy Meeks who'd recently been arrested over charges of being in possession of a firearm on their Facebook page.

Unbeknownst to the jailhouse and Meeks, this image would completely change the trajectory of his life, after his conventional good looks would see him catapulted to global fame under the nickname 'world's hottest felon'.

It would be another two years before Meeks could capitalise on his viral fame, with the former gang member signing to a modelling agency after finishing his sentence for one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in March 2016.

And capitalise on the newfound fame he did.

After not understanding 'fads and social media' while behind bars, Meeks swiftly set himself up on Instagram after becoming a free man and cashed in on the opportunities which came his way.

Meeks' first post to the outside world saw him pose alongside photographer Jim Jordan and announcing that he'd signed with a management company.

"I want to thank my family and everybody for all your love, support and prayers. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready," he wrote.

Despite remaining on house arrest for the first few weeks after leaving prison, Meeks posted regularly to tease his career plans and thanked followers for their support.

"Reading all posts. Thank you guys, this is overwhelming," he wrote in another post, while a third read: "I'm so excited to make a new start. Thank you god and the people that believe in me."

Jeremy Meeks' career after leaving prison

To say Meeks' life did a complete 180 after leaving prison would be an understatement, as the then 32-year-old walked New York and Milan Fashion Week, even featuring in Gigi Hadid's collaborative show with Tommy Hilfiger in 2018.

He also covered numerous fashion magazines and embarked on a career in movies, with appearances in films such as True to the Game, Dutch and Secret Society.

Fame also brought major changes to Meek's personal life, with the model separating from his wife of 10 years Melissa, whom he shares a son with, and embarking on a relationship with Topshop heiress and former Made In Chelsea castmate Chloe Green.

The couple would welcome a son together in 2018 before separating a year later.

However viral fame wasn't always easy for Meeks, with the now 42-year-old revealing in a recent podcast interview with Inside True Crime that he wasn't able to see his family in prison due to fans attempting to visit him.

"I'm getting random people visiting me and I'm denying them before I even walk up the stairs into the section and I'm like, 'I don't know who that person is!' I could see him through the glass. I'm like, 'I don't know who that person is!'," he said.

"They're like, 'Well, I'm still taking your visit. You can deny it, but I'm still going to take your visit for the week.' So now my family can't come because I got f***ing random people coming to see me and it was so frustrating."