As you might expect, Tiger King star Joe Exotic is ‘happier than he has ever been’ with his newfound fame
Tiger King star Joe Exotic
Joe Exotic may be serving 22 years in federal prison, but he couldn’t be happier after finding fame with the Netflix series Tiger King.
The mulleted, gun-toting gay polygamist was convicted of a litany of crimes including the illegal trade of wildlife, violations of the Endangered Species Act, and a murder-for-hire plot to kill Carole Baskin.
He’s not letting that get him down, though, because he’s finally achieved his dream of worldwide fame – or infamy, depending on your point of view.
Rebecca Chaiklin, who co-directed the Tiger King documentary with Eric Goode, told PA that Joe Exotic is “over the moon” with his newfound popularity.
Asked whether they stayed in touch with the characters featured in the show, she said: “I must get 30 phone calls a day and texts and Eric maybe even more so. There is a lot of communication going on.
“Most characters are super happy. The Rick Kirkhams, the Josh Dials, the Saffs – and then there are other characters who are probably less happy with the way they were portrayed.
“I mean, Joe is over the moon. I really mean over the moon. Even though he is locked in this horrible prison, he’s happier than he has ever been in his life, because he is finally famous.
“It is the most bizarre twist of all to me, the psychology of it. It’s bizarre.”
Although the case against Joe Exotic seems solid, he doesn’t plan on staying in prison for long.
He recently launched a sprawling $94 million lawsuit against the federal government alleging that he has been subject to civil rights violations, false arrest, false imprisonment, and selective enforcement, among many, many other things.
Earlier this week he filed a motion asking judge Scott Palk to recuse himself from the lawsuit, claiming that he’s a proven homophobe and “a gung-ho animal rights activist”.
Palk has presided over many of Joe Exotic’s civil cases, which Joe worries has “tainted” his view of him.
