'Tiger King' star Carole Baskin, worth $20M, is making a killing with $10 'Cool Cat' masks amid pandemic
Whether anybody else benefited from Netflix’s hit docuseries 'Tiger King' or not, the American big cat rights activist and zoo operator Joe Exotic's nemesis Carole Baskin has grown to become a star in her own right.
While Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage aka Joe Exotic is serving a 22-year prison sentence on the charges of murder-for-hire against Baskin, the latter is using her catchy phrase, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens" as heard in ‘Tiger King’ and her YouTube videos to make profits. Wonder how? Well, making the most out of the least ideal situation in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue is selling face masks online for $10 per piece.
Big Cat Rescue’s official Twitter account has a link to the shopping site which sells the masks, and it reads, "UPDATE: International shipping is now available! Hey all you cool cats and kittens! Be one of the first to get your very own mask featuring Carole’s favorite tag line! Choice of black or leopard print! Dual-layered/tie mask." Reflecting her fascination with the cat-themed accessories, the cool kitten masks on sale are available in two styles. One with leopard print and the other completely black, both having whiskers and nose drawn on them and the phrase, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens" written over that.
Taking into consideration the amount to fame the docuseries has helped Baskin achieve, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the masks sell out in no time, further contributing to her net worth of millions.
She is reportedly worth $20M, according to Looper. Reports estimate that she has made $10M through her non-profit organization based near Tampa, Florida, which apparently charges a hefty sum from visitors who come to see the big cats. The rest of the $10M is said to be inherited from her second husband Don Lewis, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1997 and was declared legally dead in 2002. Baskin was named the primary inheritor of the millionaire’s estate.
Carole now lives with her current husband Howard Baskin, whom she met in November 2002 at a kick-off party for a newly-formed N More Homeless Pets organization. He soon joined Big Cat Rescue as the chairman of the advisory board. They married in November 2004.