Joe Exotic, who catapulted to fame this time last year when Tiger King became one of the most watched docu-series on Netflix ever, is counting on nemesis, Carole Baskin-the very woman he tried to have murdered- to make good on her offer to support his early release.
However this offer from Carole and husband, Howard Baskin has strings. It seems 58 year old Exotic, though, is ready, willing and…maybe able to jump through the Baskins’ hoops in order to reduce his 22 year sentence.
‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic is Counting on Adversary, Carole Baskin to Spring Him From Prison.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight from the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, Exotic explained how the Baskins committed to support his early release from prison if he supported the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Exotic, the former owner and operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, says he is accepting their offer (or “call their bluff”), but not exactly graciously.
“It is time for Carole and Howard to put up or shut the hell up because I’m accepting their offer,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “And I’m gonna take it one step further than that, OK? It is time to get on the phone to President Biden or whoever they need to that they’ve got in their little financial pocket and say, ‘Hey, Joe is willing to support a big cat bill to help protect cats in America from being exploited. But we need to keep our end of the deal and get Joe a pardon because this wasn’t really about murder for hire or shooting five tigers — this was about exploiting Joe to support Carole’s agenda.’ So, there’s the offer on the table, all right?”
Oh Joe.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December 2020, prohibits the private ownership of big cats like tigers, lions, leopards, and pumas and in turn, curb the cub petting industry. In essence, it bans everything Joe Exotic stood for, while appeasing the one woman he stood against.
“The way it’s written is not gonna help anybody except PETA and Carole Baskin,” Exotic claimed, yet he promises to testify to the senate to end the exploitation of big cats in the U.S. After taking the oath, Exotic called for the Baskins to “get an attorney general down here and listen to the evidence that I have to prove I’m innocent and get me the hell out of here!”
For their part, the Tampa, Florida based Baskins promise they will seek a reduced sentence for Joe, but with one more caveat. They want to see action.
“I think he’d say anything,” Carole told Entertainment Tonight, adding what she wants to see from the man who put a hit out on her. “He’d have to actually work with authorities to bring all of his buddies to justice and work with legislators to end cub handling. Then, I’d want him to be rewarded for having done the right thing.”
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, has so far served two and a half years of his 22 year sentence in prison. The lip-synching, larger than life character was incarcerated in Texas after a federal jury found him guilty on two counts of hiring a person to murder Carole Baskin, on eight counts of falsifying wildlife records and on nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. These nine counts included killing five tigers and selling tigers across state lines.
Exotic wasn’t shy in expressing his disappointed in January when he did not receive a pardon from former president Donald Trump. “Trump, that chicken sh**, he left office and he’s only let people that he got in trouble out of jail,” he lamented.
In March, Exotic’s third husband, Dylan Passage, shared on social media that he was seeking a divorce after three years of marriage. According to Exotic, though, the two have decided to stay married.
“You know, I talk to Dylan three times a day on the telephone, and we love each other very much,” Exotic claimed. He continued to say that Passage as been through hell and back, being forced to live in a car for the first six months after his husband’s sentencing meant they lost their home. Exotic also alleges that he was the one who suggested the divorce “so he [Dylan] could move on.” He then said the couple decided against separating, even though Exotic would understand if his 25 year old husband wanted to break up.
“You know, if he needs to move on I have to respect that, I can’t expect him to just hang on forever,” he said, adding. “He has told me time and time again, if I make it out of here alive, I still have a home to come to.”
Exotic, who has been vocal in his desire for prison reform, also spoke with Entertainment Tonight about his medical issues and says the prison system isn’t adequately addressing them. He shared with the news outlet that he has both a common variable immune disease, meaning he has a weakened immune system along with hemoglobin anemia, a blood disease that requires regular transfusions.
He alleges to only be getting his required blood infusions every three months rather than each three weeks. He further claims to be continually losing weight, with a 10 pound loss this week alone and isn’t sure he will survive his prison sentence. This has led to a new calling for the flamboyant man who once had aspirations of getting to the White House.
“Listen, if I live through this-because my health is deteriorating by the day- I’m gonna do nothing but go around the world and help the kids that have been born with cleft palates and fix their faces,” he says.
Oh Joe, you’ve always had a way with words!
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