Jeremy Meeks today: What ‘world’s hottest felon’ looks like at 41

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.

Stockton, CA Police Department

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.

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.

Jeremy Meeks attends the Lambertz Monday Night 2025 on February 03, 2025 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

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.