Twists And Turns
The story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and the rest of the Tiger King crew is full of ups, downs, and everything in between. Just when you think you’ve heard the craziest part of the story, new information turns up. This is everything you need to know about this wild story.
Twists And Turns
Who Is Joe Exotic, Really?
Born Joseph Schreibvogel in 1963, now known formally as Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, and more commonly known as Joe Exotic, the proprietor behind the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma became part of the exhibit just as much as the animals that were on display at his park.
Who Is Joe Exotic, Really?
His Many Husbands
While Tiger King covered his most recent (and concurrent) relationships with John Finlay and Travis Maldonado, these were not his only marriages. His first husband was a cowboy named Brian Rhyne, who passed away in 2001. Many of Joe’s zoo employees said Rhyne’s death greatly affected Joe and triggered some of his erratic behavior. He next married a man named J.C. Hartpence, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for murder.
His Many Husbands
A Not So Magical Act
Tiger King briefly mentioned that Joe Exotic performed magic shows with his animals, including a magic act that involved having a tiger “magically” appear onstage. His then-assistant, Aaron Stone, revealed that when Joe tried the trick, the tiger was too scared of the noise from the pyrotechnics, so he chose to spray paint a sheep black and orange and use it in his act instead. Apparently, audiences were not fooled at all, and the sheep was just as scared.
A Not So Magical Act
Behind The Music
Included in the documentary were songs and clips of music videos featuring Joe Exotic. It made it seem as though he was singing, but in fact, he was not. Carole Baskin was the one to reveal that: “Joe Exotic only lip-synced to songs written and recorded by Vince Johnson and Danny Clinton.” While CDs featuring these songs were sold at Joe’s zoo, he had little to do with the music itself apart from its marketing.
Behind The Music
The Second Fire
Viewers got to know the story of the mysterious arson fire that incinerated hours of footage filmed by Rick Kirkham, as well as several live alligators. What was not included in the show is the fact that after Kirkham moved away to Dallas, he fell victim to yet another fire, this time while he was at his apartment. While he was rescued by firefighters, his dog was not so lucky. There was no arrest made for either one of the fires.
The Second Fire
Carole’s Husband
There are many theories regarding what happened to Carole Baskin’s husband, Don Lewis, and how much Baskin herself was involved. Many were surprised that she even offered details of what happened in the documentary. Once the show was released, Baskin claimed that she was misled by Netflix, and said she was told the documentary was like “the Blackfish of the cat industry,” as she told Vanity Fair. She said that she believes Don’s secretary was the one who killed him.
Carole’s Husband
Life After The Show
While the docu-series did share the fact that Joe Exotic ended up in prison after being found guilty on 21 counts of conspiring to kill Carole Baskin as well as multiple tigers, there have been some updates to the story ever since. In January 2020, he was officially sentenced to 22 years in prison. He is now at Grady County Jail, which is in Oklahoma.
Life After The Show
Will He Be Vindicated?
Joe Exotic maintains his innocence, and though he cannot watch the show in prison, he believes he will be vindicated. A recent Facebook post on his account said: “Now that the Netflix series is out, I can not watch it, but if you see … the people who set me up … please share this with a law firm that may help me get out of here.”
Will He Be Vindicated?
Can You Legally Own Big Cats?
After the show aired, many questioned the legality of any of the exotic zoos. The thing is, the laws surrounding ownership of big cats is cloudy at best. Though the Endangered Species Act does outlaw the purchase and possession of endangered wildlife species, captive-bred animals are not very regulated. Many states, Oklahoma included, do allow people to own big cats as pets.
Can You Legally Own Big Cats?
The Loopholes
35 states in the U.S. ban the ownership of big cats as pets, but there are many loopholes and exemptions, as well as poor regulation. This is why the G.W. Zoo and other roadside zoos are so common around the country. There are about several hundred all around North America.
The Loopholes
Where Joe’s Troubles Began
Joe Exotic is known for his colorful personality and antics that would draw crowds to his zoo. While the deaths of his first husband and his brother greatly affected him, perhaps his psychological turmoil began even earlier. Growing up, he was the middle child out of five, and he has said that his parents never told any of their children that they loved them, but treated them like laborers instead of kids.
Where Joe’s Troubles Began
A Strange Childhood Hobby
Joe shared that as a child, once he finished his extensive chores on the farm where he grew up, he had an unusual hobby for “relaxing.” He would shoot sparrows with his BB peashooter. His explanation was that he wounded them so he could then play vet and heal them again, since he wanted to grow up to become a vet.
A Strange Childhood Hobby
His Revenge Plan
Joe Exotic claimed that he had a very specific way of dealing with school bullies and kids at school that had tormented him. Apparently, he would place nails all over the school’s parking lot in order to poke holes and damage tires of what he claimed would be “hundreds of cars.” He said that after he did this, he was never bothered again.
His Revenge Plan
Trying To Hide From Himself
In 1985, Joe began dating a woman named Kim, and the two eventually ended up living together. However, he would frequently stray and engaged in trysts with men while attending queer clubs in the Dallas area. He said he dealt with a heavy burden of shame and paranoia until he finally broke. He said that he attempted to take his own life by crashing his car at a high speed.
Joe Maldonado
A Supposed Rebirth
Joe claims that after surviving this incident and spending two months hospitalized, he felt like he was born again. Afterwards, he said he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in order to “participate in an experimental saltwater rehabilitation program.” His ex-boyfriend confirmed that he did live in West Palm Beach, but recalls that the only water activity they participated in was snorkeling.
A Supposed Rebirth
The Big Cat Obsession Begins
It was during his time in Florida that Joe was introduced to the world of exotic animals and big cats in particular. His neighbor introduced him to a man that worked at a drive-through safari and would bring baby lions over. This is where his love for big cats officially began and changed his life forever.
The Big Cat Obsession Begins
Starting Small
Joe moved back to Texas, where he met his first husband, Brian Rhyne. Together they bought a horse ranch in Wynnewood, Oklahoma that was in dire need of renovation. They decided to turn it into a rescue animal refuge, and this eventually became the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park, more commonly known as the G.W. Zoo. They slowly began to collect more and more animals and began to expand.
Starting Small
What Happened To The Zoo?
As of June 2020, the zoo that was once owned by Joe Exotic was officially handed over to Carole Baskin. How did this happen? Well, a federal judge gave her control of the zoo as part of a ruling in a $1 million trademark dispute between the two. The zoo’s current operator, Jeff Lowe, was given 120 days to vacate the premises and remove all of his animals from there.
What Happened To The Zoo?
How Did That Happen?
It began in 2011, when Carole Baskin sued Joe for trademark infringement, which led Joe to owing Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue $1 million. Then, in 2016, Big Cat Rescue sued Joe’s mother Shirley Schreibvogel after Carole claimed that Joe transferred his zoo to his mother fraudulently in order to avoid paying Baskin and creditors.
How Did That Happen?
What The Judge Said
Document posted online showed that U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk ruled the transfer of the zoo was made to “remove [the zoo] from the reach of Big Cat Rescue. Therefore, he gradted Baskin control of the zoo and its land in lieu of the $1 million payment she was owed for the copyright infringement. The zoo’s current operator, Jeff Lowe, was given 120 days to vacate the premises.
What The Judge Said
Jeff’s Response
Although you would think that Jeff Lowe would be upset about this, he does not seem very concerned about the whole ordeal. He told TMZ that he and his wife Lauren had “long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, behind the world’s largest casino.”
Jeff’s Response
The Employees Signed An NDA
While Joe Exotic was still the owner and proprietor of the G.W. Zoo, he made an interesting decision regarding his employees. He forced everyone who wanted to work there sign sign a one million dollar non-disclosure agreement, which is why so many of the zoo employees never spoke out about anything going on at the zoo. However, apparently the NDA was not even legally valid.
The Employees Signed An NDA
Carole’s Other Partner
After Carole Baskin’s first husband, Don Lewis disappeared, and before she married current husband Howard Baskin, she was in a relationship with a man named Jay Baykal. However, after she referenced Lewis’ disappearance, Baykal ended the relationship and filed a restraining order. Don Lewis had also filed a restraining order against her before he disappeared.
Carole’s Other Partner
What Happened To John Finlay?
Many wondered what happened with Joe Exotic’s last husband, John Finlay. It turns out that Finlay is doing quite well and has undergone quite the dramatic transformation. In 2019, TMZ reported that Finlay got dentures to fix his smile. He said that his tooth loss was not due to his drug habit, but mainly to a genetic condition.
What Happened To John Finlay?
Finlay’s New Partner
Although in Tiger King we see that John Finlay left Joe Exotic for a woman, the two are no longer together, though they do share a daughter together. Finlay is currently in a new relationship, and it seems to be going well, as they are now engaged.
Finlay’s New Partner
Finlay’s Top Choice
When asked which actor was his top preference to portray him in any future film about the zoo, Finlay had a definitive answer. He said that he’d want Channing Tatum to play him and he had a very sweet reason as to why. He said: “It was 4-5 years ago. [Tatum] did a shout out to Alyssa Finlay [Finlay’s distant cousin] — she had Stage 4 Breast Cancer, and [on] her bucket list was to have Channing Tatum give her a kiss. And he did on, I think it was Skype, or something like that.”
Finlay’s Top Choice
Michael Jackson’s Alligators
While the Los Angeles Times reported that Michael Jackson’s alligators had all been burned alive in the fire that was set at G.W. Zoo, this was not totally accurate. Joe was in possession of one of Jackson’s alligators from Neverland Ranch, but it survived the fire. However, the alligator’s babies did not.
Michael Jackson’s Alligators
Trying To Bring Back The Sabertooth
It was a well-known fact that Joe Exotic was cross-breeding the tigers at his zoo, but New York Magazine has claimed that he was also trying to create a hybrid that would revive the prehistoric Sabertooth tiger. Biologists have confirmed that this is not actually possible.
Trying To Bring Back The Sabertooth
What About Dillon Passage?
At the end of Tiger King, we see Joe Exotic’s current relationship with Dillon Passage blossom. The pair are still married, and Dillon (who is 24, while Joe is 57), is supporting his husband from afar while Joe is serving his prison time. Passage said that Joe “doesn’t want me to be alone, but he also doesn’t want me to move on.” He continued: “I do love Joe, he’s been there for me through my darkest times and I’m not just going to dip out and abandon him when he needs me most.”
What About Dillon Passage?
Faking An Illness
Joe’s fall from grace led him to many financial issues, which meant that he turned to desperate measures to try to pull funds together. Apparently, he told his fans on Facebook that he was dying from prostate and bone marrow cancer and tried to raise money by appealing to their sympathy. In reality, he was actually suffering from dehydration, a bad herpes outbreak, and an infected prostate.
Faking An Illness
Britney And Doc Antle
We were also introduced to Doc Antle, a polarizing and colorful character who is also an owner of an exotic animal zoo. Everyone also remembers Britney Spears’ iconic 2001 performance where she danced with a snake and a tiger while performing “Slave 4 U.” Well, it turns out that the tiger belonged to Doc Antle, and he was even nearby during the performance.
Britney And Doc Antle
How Are Jeff And Lauren Doing?
Many were puzzled by Jeff Lowe and Lauren Dropla’s relationship after watching Tiger King, but the two are still going strong. They are still engaged, and have plans to officially tie the knot in 2020. Dropla was helping Jeff manage the G.W. Zoo until they had to hand it over to Carole.
How Are Jeff And Lauren Doing?
Unique Business Ventures
It turns out that before Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic went their separate ways, they had extravagant business plans together. They intended to open a strip club-petting zoo hybrid and build it next to the G.W. Zoo. They wanted to name the establishment “Tigers and Dreams.” They then decided to open a drive-in movie theater, but this plan also fell through.
Unique Business Ventures
Enjoying The Fame
Even though he is behind bars, Joe Exotic is thrilled about his newfound fame. Tiger King’s direction Eric Goode shared with the Los Angeles Times: “He is absolutely ecstatic about the series and the idea of being famous. He’s absolutely thrilled. You can hardly talk to him without him mentioning the amount of press he’s getting.”
Enjoying The Fame
Jeff Lowe’s New Park
While now it’s official that the G.W. Zoo belongs to Carole Baskin, Lowe has had plans to abandon ship for quite some time. He built a brand new zoo away from the G.W. Zoo and was planning to officially open in spring or summer of 2020. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, his plans may be delayed.
Jeff Lowe’s New Park
A Miniseries In The Works
Fans of Tiger King will be thrilled to hear that a miniseries based on the story is being developed. Saturday Night Live cast member Kate McKinnon is set to play Carole Baskin, while Nicholas Cage has been tapped to play Joe Exotic.
A Miniseries In The Works
Will We See A Second Season?
In the meantime, fans are still eager to see even more from the crazy Tiger King story. The series’ co-director, Rebecca Chaiklin, said: “We have a crazy amount of footage and it’s a story that’s still unfolding. We’re not sure yet, but there could be a follow-up on this story … and it’ll be just as dramatic and just as colorful as what has unfolded these past few years.”
Will We See A Second Season?
A Presidential Pardon?
As Joe Exotic maintains that he is totally innocent and that he is unfairly imprisoned, he has tried to reach out to the highest office in the country for help. That’s right, Joe Exotic has appealed the the President of the United States, asking him to give him a pardon, and Donald Trump has said he would look into it! We’ll see if that will end up helping Joe out.
A Presidential Pardon?
The Wedding Video
For those who still can’t get enough from Joe Exotic and the Tiger King crew, there is some good news. Fans who did some searching online have found that the full video from Joe, John, and Travis’ wedding is up on YouTube. You can watch the 23-minute video anytime you please.
The Wedding Video
