Culture

Tiger King’s Joe Exotic is in talks for a ‘mind-blowing’ radio show broadcast from inside prison

Apr 17 2020
Written by Emma Powys Maurice

Joe Exotic being interviewed from prison on March 22 (Twitter/@Netflix)

Joe Exotic isn’t about to let a mere 22-year prison sentence stand in the way of his quest for fame, and he’s planning his return to showbiz from behind bars.

The polygamous gay tiger breeder and star of Netflix’s Tiger King is currently serving time in federal prison – but he’s “happier than he’s ever been” thanks to the global success of the documentary.

Determined not to let his moment in the sun slip away, Joe is now working with US broadcasters in a bid to get his own radio show on the airwaves.

Speaking to Metro, his husband Dilon Passage revealed: “This radio station here in the US wants him to have his own radio show from inside the prison.

“So we’ll see what happens with that. It’s kind of mind-blowing.”

He didn’t say whether prison authorities have actually granted permission for this, or how it would work given that Joe is currently in coronavirus isolation.

“He wishes he could talk more. He doesn’t really get phone call privileges mainly because he’s still in isolation for the coronavirus stuff,” Passage continued. “His test results did come back negative for the virus.”

But he said that Joe “absolutely loves the attention” following his sudden rise to fame, adding: “He’s got a load of really good feedback, a lot of letters, a lot of emails.”

Tiger King director Rebecca Chaiklin also confirmed that the convicted animal abuser is more than happy with his questionable portrayal in the true crime documentary.

“I mean, Joe is over the moon. I really mean over the moon,” she previously said. “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.