‘He ruined his own life’: Internet calls out Joe Exotic as he reveals in prison how Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ ruined his life
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: Joe Exotic, who was convicted in a case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin, recently asserted in an interview that the Netflix series 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Crazy' had destroyed his life. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado, says that the Netflix series that made him famous promoted a "conspiracy" that he attempted to kill Baskin.
Exotic, 60, said, "Well, first of all, I didn't do 'Tiger King,'" in response to TMZ's Friday, March 10 phone call from his Texas prison asking if he regretted being a part of the docuseries. "Did 'Tiger King' ruin my life? Absolutely," Exotic, a candidate for the US presidency in 2024, declared. He became well-known throughout the world as a result of the 2020 documentary series, which highlighted his professional and personal life as he cared for exotic large cats at his GW Zoo (The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park) in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. He was arrested in September 2018 while the filming was still happening and charged with attempting to pay two men to kill Baskin, another big cat collector who had labeled Exotic—who was allegedly selling tiger cubs illegally—an animal abuser.
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'Turned this into this conspiracy to kill Carole Baskin'
Exotic stated, "I was filming just a little tiger show in 2016 and 2017, and then Netflix and ['Tiger King' director] Eric Goode and all of them turned this into this conspiracy to kill Carole Baskin to make a show. Anything you saw me in was real filmed that I filmed at the zoo," according to TMZ.
Exotic said, "Everything they filmed after 2018 when I got arrested was all pre-set up and we have evidence that they were all paid to say what they said," adding that he has since chosen to forgive Baskin, the owner of the Big Cat Rescue facility in Tampa, Florida.
Exotic was found guilty in 2019 and sentenced to 22 years in jail on 17 federal counts of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder. He was also found guilty of fabricating records, selling tiger cubs, and violating the law by murdering five tigers. In January 2022, his sentence was shortened by one year, bringing his total sentence to 21 years.
'Yes it was supposed to ruin it'
Many people reacted to Exotic's claim that 'Tiger King' ruined his life with one person writing, "Yes it was supposed to ruin it." Another person wrote, "Hot take but I think Joe Exotic ruined his own life by exploiting tigers and literally everyone around him..."
A third person wrote, "I guess the Murder For Hire plot he organized had nothing to do with it as well as the five tigers he slaughtered. Cry me a river..." Another person sarcastically wrote, "Bro, That Mullet did far worse."
Hot take but I think Joe Exotic ruined his own life by exploiting tigers and literally everyone around him…
— 𝓔𝓶𝓶𝓪 (@Emmajohnson112) March 10, 2023
I guess the Murder For Hire plot he organized had nothing to do with it as well as the five tigers he slaughtered. Cry me a river....🤣🤣🤣
— Petee G Raw (@petee_g_raw) March 11, 2023
What is Joe exotic doing at the moment?
Exotic, who is allegedly battling prostate cancer, has signed a do-not-resuscitate order and claimed that he would be "The first presidential candidate to die in federal jail," according to TMZ. He said, "People may think that this is a joke for me being sick and me running for office from here, but it's not."
Exotic stated, "I have some extremely major influencers that are my endorsers and online news tabloids and everything else that's backing me for this." He claimed that in order to maintain his optimism while dealing with depression, he walks two miles daily and performs a few hundred push-ups and jumping jacks. He is requesting a new trial with "new evidence," and if granted early release, he plans to marry Seth Posey and go on a concert tour.
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