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'Tiger King' star Saff describes Joe Exotic's obsession with Carole Baskin as the worst kind of love story

'Carole was the first thing on (Joe's) mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night'
PUBLISHED APR 9, 2020
(IMDb)
(IMDb)

Kelci Saffery, who has become an overnight sensation after Netflix hit 'Tiger King', has described his former boss Joe Exotic's relationship with Carole Baskin as "the worst kind of love story". 

"Carole was the first thing on [Joe's] mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night," the zookeeper, nicknamed 'Saff', said in an interview with People.

Saff believes the feuding animal lovers had started out "standing up for what they believed was right," but things "started to not be about the animals" as their animosity towards each other intensified.

"I do think they started to focus more on Carole and Joe and less on the bigger picture," the zookeeper continued.  "And nothing came out of it. It’s the worst kind of love story."

  Joe Exotic (IMDb)

'Tiger King' follows the story of former zoo owner Joseph Maldonado-Passage - also known as Joe Exotic - who is currently serving 22 years in prison for 17 counts of animal abuse and allegedly hiring a hitman to kill his arch-nemesis Carole, an animal rights activist from Tampa, Florida. 

Saff revealed in a recent interview with Out that he was "misgendered" throughout the documentary since he identifies as a man.

Many viewers deemed Saff "the smartest person" in the Netflix original series, and he has since discussed how he has been frequently misgendered considering he goes by the pronouns "he/him."

Several critics have taken social media to slam producers for failing to address Saff's gender and their "ignorance towards bisexuality" since the show's debut on the streaming service last month, according to People.

Viewers were left stunned by the story of how Saff was mauled by a tiger while working as a keeper at Joe's Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. The incident forced him to have his arm amputated, but he returned to work just a week later.

That said, despite the outright misgendering on the show, Saff remains characteristically unfazed by the issue.

"I've always gone by 'him' since I could say that out loud. If people are asking me what I prefer, it's very obvious what I prefer, and that's he," Saff told Out.

"I'm not going to tell anyone what they need to or should call me. I think that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and I'm obviously as easygoing in that department as I can get."

"I don't think that I personally get offended I think others do," he continued. "I think everyone should stand up for what they believe in. I just – it's literally one of the last things that I really considered worrying about."

Saff also spoke to Esquire about the same. "On a daily basis, I am called 17 different things. I never really took it to heart. I love being able to speak on this…" he told the magazine.

"Obviously it's not something that I've even actively participated in ever, so, for context, my conversation with Rob was that he asked me, 'What do you prefer? Saff or Kelci?' And of course, I said Saff because that's what I've been called for the past 20 years," he added.

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