A single mugshot changed Jeremy Meeks’ life forever.
In 2014, a booking photo of the then-30-year-old went viral after the Stockton Police Department posted it on Facebook.
His piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones and striking features quickly turned him into an unlikely internet sensation, earning him the nickname “the world’s hottest felon.”
More than a decade later, however, Meeks is no longer defined by that photograph—or by the criminal record that once made headlines.
Today, the 42-year-old has built a very different life as a model, actor, fashion designer and author, turning a moment that could have permanently defined him into the beginning of an extraordinary second chapter.
From prison to the runway
Meeks was arrested on June 18, 2014, on a felony weapons charge and was ultimately sentenced to 27 months in prison. He had previously served nine years for grand theft from a person.
But while he was behind bars, something unexpected was happening outside.
His mugshot had become a viral phenomenon, attracting thousands of comments and likes. Modeling agencies took notice, and by the time Meeks was released in March 2016, opportunities were waiting for him.
After signing with White Cross Management, Meeks began building a career in fashion and eventually walked runways for major designers including Philipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger.
“I’m in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life,” he told ABC News after his release.
And that is exactly what he set out to do.
His career eventually expanded beyond modeling. Meeks moved into acting, appearing in films including Secret Society, Dance for Me, Love After Holidays and Beach Chain. He also entered the fashion business himself, reportedly agreeing to a $15 million deal with Fashion Concept GmbH in 2019 to develop his own clothing line.
He later launched another collection with Canon Mitchell in 2024.
He has also opened up about a painful past
Behind the glamorous photos and fashion shows, Meeks has been candid about how difficult his childhood and early life were.
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.”
His early struggles eventually led to crime and prison, but Meeks has repeatedly spoken about wanting to break away from that past.
That journey has not always been easy.
In a recent appearance on the True Crime Podcast, Meeks discussed his battle with drugs and revealed just how dangerous his addiction had become.
“The mother of my second child was struggling with me struggling,” he began.
“She took a video of me sleeping, my breathing was very delayed and my lips were turning blue and I was pretty much overdosing in my sleep.”
Meeks recalled that his former partner, Chloe Green, was pregnant with their son at the time.
“She was four months pregnant,
“So she’s like, ‘Dude, if something happens, like there’s nothing I can do’, and so 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.”
He has said he spent thousands of dollars on treatment as he worked toward sobriety.
Now he’s telling his story
Today, Meeks is also embracing another role: author.
In his autobiography, Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks, he opens up about his childhood, prison sentence, sudden fame, career transformation and the struggles that followed.
Ahead of the book’s release, he told People:
“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 and understand how I came to be in the place that I’m at in my life.”
That desire to tell the full story is perhaps the biggest difference between the man in the viral mugshot and the man he has become.
Life beyond the spotlight
Away from fashion and Hollywood, Meeks is a father to two sons: Jeremy Jr., whom he shares with his ex-wife Melissa, and Jayden, whom he welcomed with Green.
His relationship with Green ended after two years, and by 2024, Meeks said he was single and concentrating on himself.
“I am single. I’m trying to focus on myself.”
He also revealed that he had been intentionally staying away from romantic relationships.
“I don’t have a girl. I’ve been celibate for almost three years.”
Asked why, Meeks gave a simple answer:
“Cause I’m not being distracted.”
That focus appears to extend beyond his personal life. After years of being defined by a mugshot, Meeks has continued building his career, working on fashion, acting and his writing while attempting to maintain his sobriety and move forward.
The man whose prison booking photo once became an internet obsession is now far removed from the image that made him famous.
Jeremy Meeks went from a prison cell to international fashion runways, movie sets, business deals and now his own autobiography.
Whatever people saw in that viral mugshot back in 2014, his life today is proof that a person’s most infamous moment does not necessarily have to be the final chapter of their story.
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