A seemingly ordinary mugshot changed everything for Jeremy Meeks.
Today, the former felon — once dubbed the “world’s hottest felon” — has built a net worth of around $5 million, leaving his past far behind him.
And you might want to take a seat before you see him today.
Piercing blue eyes
Once known worldwide as the “hot felon,” Jeremy Meeks has completely rewritten his story — transforming from a viral mugshot to an international model, actor, and now author.
It all began back in 2014, when the Stockton Police Department posted his mugshot on Facebook after his arrest. With his piercing blue eyes and chiseled features, Meeks’ photo went viral overnight.
Meeks, a 30-year-old forklift operator with high cheekbones, was listed as a ”convicted felon, arrested for felony weapon charges.”
Less than a day after the Stockton Police Department shared his booking photo, it had racked up over 15,000 likes and 3,700 comments — most from women captivated by his striking looks. His unique, multiracial features were widely praised as incredibly attractive.
According to Stockton Police Department spokesperson Joe Silva, Meeks’ mugshot drew more attention than any other photo the department had shared since launching its Facebook page in 2012.
Both parents were heroin addicts
At the time, few imagined that the man facing multiple firearm charges would one day walk the runway for luxury designers and sign million-dollar deals.
Before fame, Meeks’ life was anything but glamorous. Born on February 7, 1984, he has been open about his troubled upbringing. In a 2019 interview on the What’s Your Water podcast, he recalled, “Both of my parents were heroin addicts. I was a heroin baby … My childhood was very dark. My dad committed a murder when I was nine months old and killed my mom’s best friend.”
Years of hardship led to time behind bars for various crimes, including grand theft and forgery. Jeremy’s early run-ins with the law began with typical teen mistakes —skipping school, breaking curfew — but things escalated quickly. By 10th grade, he had moved out on his own, and just two months after turning 18, he was hit with a felony charge for stealing a car.
His 2014 arrest resulted in a 27-month prison sentence—but it also became the turning point of his life.
When Meeks walked free in 2016, modeling agencies were already waiting. After signing with White Cross Management, he told ABC News, “I’m in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life.” And he did just that.
41 today
Now 41, Meeks has walked the runway for designers like Philipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger, appeared in movies such as Trigger, Secret Society, and True to the Game 2 and 3, and even launched his own clothing line after signing a $15 million deal with Fashion Concept GmbH.
In 2024, Meeks shared yet another side of himself through his autobiography, Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks. “I’m in a place in my life where I am extremely vulnerable and want to tell my story, the whole story, and hope that people can connect to it,” he said.
Off the runway, Meeks is a devoted father to two sons — Jeremy Jr. with ex-wife Melissa and Jayden with Topshop heiress Chloe Green, whom he dated for two years.
By 2024, he confirmed to People that he was single, saying, “I am single. I’m trying to focus on myself.”
From a prison cell to Paris Fashion Week, Jeremy Meeks’ journey is one of the most unexpected reinventions in modern celebrity culture — and at 41, the man once known as the “world’s hottest felon” continues to prove that second chances can lead to extraordinary transformations.
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