Joe Exotic 's husband Dillon Passage expressed his fears for the Tiger King star over his four-month stint in solitary confinement in prison.
The big cat breeder, 57, was sentenced to 22 years behind bars for his role in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his nemesis Carole Baskin.
Joe - real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage - is currently behind bars at a prison in Fort Worth, Texas and has spent the last four months in solitary confinement.
His husband Dillon, 22, has now spoken out about Joe's time in jail, admitted he's worried about Joe's access to blood transfusions to treat an antibody deficiency and anemia.
During an appearance on Australian TV show The Sunday Project, Dillon explained "It tears me up, because you know, Joe needs to have his transfusions or he won't make it.
“It's an autoimmune disease. It started with the ulcers on his face.
"Once that starts, it's downhill from there. His life is in danger. It's very detrimental."
He went on to express his concerns over Joe's lengthy stint in solitary confinement, claiming he's rarely able to speak to him and the Tiger King is becoming increadibly detached from the outside world.
Dillon said: "It's cruel and unusual punishment to the max for sure.
"I've only been able to speak to him maybe six times since the show. It's pretty ridiculous.
"He's not doing good. He can't necessarily grasp and stay updated with what's happening out here."
Joe previously spoke out about his experience in prison in handwritten letters to his friend Kathleen Lafferty.
In one of the notes, he ranted: "It’s like I have been send to Death Row. They stopped all of my medication except one. This place is hell on earth.
"I struggle every day to hold onto what little hope I can find... I don't even know if I'm married any more.
"Seems like everyone is too busy making money and being famous, I don't even get a letter from Dillon."
Joe's lawyer Francisco Hernandez later confirmed the star is in solitary but insisted he hadn't been given an explanation.
He said: "He is in the Special Handling Unit for unexplained reasons...
"[Solitary] is supposed to be a maximum of 14 days. He hasn't seen the sun in two years."
A spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons later explained Joe had gone into solitary confinement as part of the prison's reaction to the coronavirus outbreak.
