Jeremy Meeks, the man behind the handsome mugshot that went viral in 2014, was released from prison on Tuesday and is preparing to launch his modeling career.
“We were bombarded by every news media outlet and production company out there,” Meeks’s agent and manager, Jim Jordan, said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Jordan added that Meeks had been preparing for his modeling career by doing 500 sit-ups and push-ups in his prison cell every day.
Jordan said that his agency, Los Angles-based White Cross Management, has been receiving calls from top designers in the industry who are eager to book Meeks for modeling gigs. “The world responds to beautiful things. Jeremy is a beautiful thing,” Jordan said of Meeks, according to the Chronicle.
Meeks already has an “official” Instagram page, furnished with the blue checkmark that indicates he has been “verified” by the social media app as a public figure. His page has garnered over 87,000 followers so far. Here’s an image of him posing with Jordan:
And here’s one of him with his wife and son:
A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Mar 3, 2016 at 2:30am PST
Meeks was arrested in Stockton, California on five weapons charges and one gang charge back in the summer of 2014 as part of Operation Ceasefire, a multiagency mission involving the Stockton police gang unit, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force. The operation was aimed at cracking down on a surge in shootings and robberies in the Weston Ranch area of Stockton.
His mugshot immediately went viral internationally, receiving over 100,000 “likes” on Facebook, over 12,700 shares, and over 26,000 comments. Among the comments posted were, “I wish I was his victim,” and “babyur too hot for jail.”
Upon his release from the Mendota Federal Correctional Institution in Northern California, he was reportedly greeted by his wife Melissa, their three children and Jordan.
In an interview with ABC News from prison last year, he said “I’m in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life. I never thought that everyone in the world would recognize me for my looks, so I feel extremely blessed and very thankful.”
Meanwhile, some took to social media to make fun of the fact that a man deemed a “criminal” is winning so much attention:
The tabloid magazines are also enjoying the fodder for their often outlandish stories on celebrities:
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz.
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