«The trial of Joe Exotic: the story of the life of a zoo predator»
23 april 2025 в 04:13
On January 22, 2020, Oklahoma zookeeper Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison for planning the murder of an animal rights activist who aimed to shut down his business. Now, the life story of this 57-year-old man is being told in a new Netflix documentary series called «Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness», - which premieres on the streaming service on March 20.
This is great entertainment amidst the isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak. What’s interesting is that this wild story is true. Now, behind bars, Joe (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), an eccentric blond with a mullet who aspired to be a country singer and loved lions and tigers, which he once proudly displayed in his zoo «G.W. Zoo for Exotic Animals». But his life began to unravel when he became obsessed with Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue sanctuary, who led a campaign to stop his ownership and touring with exotic animals. The bitter online feud escalated into a failed murder-for-hire plot that landed him in prison. Here’s everything you need to know about Joe and his wild story:
Joe was also convicted of eight violations of the Lacey Act for «falsifying wildlife records» and nine violations of the Endangered Species Act. The Department of Justice accused him of killing five tigers in October 2017 to make room in cages for other big cats.
«I'm not cutting my hair first», - said the zookeeper in a campaign video shown on an episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver in October 2016. «I'm not changing the way I dress. I refuse to wear a suit… I’m gay. I’ve had two boyfriends most of my life… I’m as broke as shit».
In addition to hosting his own online show, Joe filmed material for a reality show that he planned to pitch to a channel. Tourists could buy souvenirs at the zoo’s gift shop, including condoms with his face on them.
The documentary series features several music videos by Joe. His songs include «I Saw a Tiger» and «Here, Kitty».
In 2014, Joe married Travis Maldonado and John Finley, according to Texas Monthly. The grooms were all dressed in matching pink shirts and black jeans. Joe and John have since split up. Travis died after accidentally shooting himself in the head in October 2017. Two months later, Joe married Dillon Passage, whom he later divorced in 2023
This is great entertainment amidst the isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak. What’s interesting is that this wild story is true. Now, behind bars, Joe (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), an eccentric blond with a mullet who aspired to be a country singer and loved lions and tigers, which he once proudly displayed in his zoo «G.W. Zoo for Exotic Animals». But his life began to unravel when he became obsessed with Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue sanctuary, who led a campaign to stop his ownership and touring with exotic animals. The bitter online feud escalated into a failed murder-for-hire plot that landed him in prison. Here’s everything you need to know about Joe and his wild story:
Joe was also convicted of eight violations of the Lacey Act for «falsifying wildlife records» and nine violations of the Endangered Species Act. The Department of Justice accused him of killing five tigers in October 2017 to make room in cages for other big cats.
«I'm not cutting my hair first», - said the zookeeper in a campaign video shown on an episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver in October 2016. «I'm not changing the way I dress. I refuse to wear a suit… I’m gay. I’ve had two boyfriends most of my life… I’m as broke as shit».
In addition to hosting his own online show, Joe filmed material for a reality show that he planned to pitch to a channel. Tourists could buy souvenirs at the zoo’s gift shop, including condoms with his face on them.
The documentary series features several music videos by Joe. His songs include «I Saw a Tiger» and «Here, Kitty».
In 2014, Joe married Travis Maldonado and John Finley, according to Texas Monthly. The grooms were all dressed in matching pink shirts and black jeans. Joe and John have since split up. Travis died after accidentally shooting himself in the head in October 2017. Two months later, Joe married Dillon Passage, whom he later divorced in 2023
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
