Jeremy Meeks, whose mugshot went viral on Facebook after it was posted in 2014 by the Stockton Police Department, has reflected on the reactions to his overnight fame.
In a recent interview on the Inside True Crime podcast, Jeremy revealed that he received hundreds of letters from admirers in the aftermath of his arrest.
“I was probably getting 300 letters a day, and it was just too much,” said the 42-year-old, dubbed the “world’s hottest felon,” on Sunday (March 22).
Jeremy Meeks reflected on his sudden fame after his viral mugshot
Image credits: Gisela Schober/Getty Images
Jeremy also received explicit content from supporters.
“I’m getting n*ked pictures, I’m getting money orders. All kinds of money’s being sent in,” he recalled.
People also started showing up to the Sacramento County Jail unannounced, claiming the two visitor passes he was allotted weekly.
“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!’” Jeremy said.
Image credits: Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime
But people insisted on having a meet-and-greet with the felon. “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.”
Some told him that they had driven from another state just to see him.
Jeremy said random visits from admirers in jail disrupted the visitor passes he wanted to reserve for his family
Image credits: Stockton, CA Police Department
“They’re like, ‘Well, we drove all the way from Tennessee!’” Jeremy explained.
“‘I understand that and thank you. But my son’s five years old and he doesn’t understand why I’m not home and he needs to see me. And so I’m just going to ask that you please don’t come back. Write me.’”
Jeremy shares a 15-year-old son with his ex-wife, nurse Melissa Meeks. He also shares a 7-year-old son with his ex-girlfriend, Topshop heiress Chloe Green.
A former member of the Crips criminal group, Jeremy was sentenced to 27 months in prison on weapon charges in 2014.
Image credits: Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime
Before the arrest that led to the viral mugshot, he had spent more than a decade in and out of prison for crimes including grand theft and forgery.
According to TMZ, Jeremy was charged in 2002 with robbery and corporal injury to a child. He allegedly “jumped a 16-year-old and beat him to a pulp.”
After prison, Jeremy landed a modeling contract and walked for Tommy Hilfiger
Image credits: mmeeks14/Instagram
Elsewhere in the podcast, Jeremy opened up about his release from prison. Unlike many ex-convicts, the “blue-eyed bandit” found himself with opportunities to travel the world and walk in fashion shows.
At the height of his fame, he was struggling with substance dependence issues. He revealed that, one night, he was “pretty much overd*sing in my sleep.”
Image credits: jmeeksofficial/Instagram
Jeremy said his partner at the time made a phone call that ended up saving his life.
“Luckily, she made a phone call and got some help and got a doctor in there and it was very expensive, but they got me the treatment that I needed.”
The 42-year-old shared that he experienced survivor’s guilt after receiving treatment for his dependency, as he compared himself to many of his friends who couldn’t afford medical care.
He also felt responsible for their health issues, having used his money to buy hard substances for himself and his group.
The 42-year-old struggled with substance dependence after prison and experienced survivor’s guilt
“A lot of my homies and people that I knew, some of their add*ction grew just because of the resources that I had,” Jeremy said.
“And then next thing you know, I’m clean. 30 grand was dropped on my sobriety. I just felt bad because a lot of the people that I knew were still struggling.”
Image credits: Venturelli/Getty Images
In a separate interview, Jeremy revealed that both of his parents had struggled with substance dependency as well and described himself as a “h*roin baby.”
After his release from prison in 2016, he landed a modeling contract with White Cross Management and walked the runway for designers such as Philipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger.
The father of two has released a memoir and secured brand ambassadorships
The California native has also appeared in several films, including Trigger, Secret Society, and True to the Game 2, and signed a $15 million deal with Fashion Concept GmbH to launch his own clothing line.
Additionally, he released a memoir titled Model Citizen, which explores his troubled childhood and time in prison. According to his book, Jeremy now uses his life experiences to advocate for change in other people’s lives.
Jeremy secured his latest brand ambassadorship last November with the clothing company SAYA, as per The Daily Mail.
Social media users reacted to Jeremy Meeks’ latest interview more than a decade after his viral mugshot
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