World’s hottest felon’ Jeremy Meeks revealed how viral fame affected him in prison

Back in 2014, a mugshot released in California led to a felon finding viral fame.

Little did Jeremy Meeks know, but the police department’s Facebook post soon spread across the US and eventually, corners of the world.

His mugshot had been shared after he’d been arrested over charges of being in possession of a firearm and saw him dubbed as the ‘world’s hottest felon’.

Meeks and his jail mates weren’t totally aware of the scale of this while behind bars. But when he was released in March 2016, the former gang member ended up being signed to a modelling agency.

While the viral fame saw him featuring in fashion magazines and films, he did open up about the impact it had on him in prison as he had ‘random people’ visiting.

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."