There was a time earlier this year when you couldn’t speak to anyone who hadn’t watched Tiger King, and the show’s leading man Joe Exotic quickly became one of the most popular people on the planet. The series, which followed Exotic and his controversial zoo, went on to break records for Netflix and became one of the platform’s most-viewed shows of all time.
However, the docuseries ends with Exotic being arrested for plotting to kill his nemesis Carole Baskin, and he remains at FMC Fort Worth to this day. It appears as though prison life is getting to him, too, as he’s sent a group of lawyers to Washington, D.C. with a stunning 257-page pardon request to be issued to President Donald Trump.
The plea states that his various health issues are becoming serious and that he’s been sexually assaulted and beaten by the prison staff. He also claims that his comments regarding killing Carole Baskin were “hyperbole” and simply part of his Joe Exotic persona and that his conviction can be largely attributed to what he perceives as homophobia from various people involved in the case.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Exotic and Trump have been in the same story over the past six months. During a briefing earlier this year, the president actually made a passing mention about the possibility of pardoning Exotic if deemed appropriate. Nothing came of the comment, however, and just as Tiger King‘s popularity died down and more important circumstances like COVID-19 and civil unrest rose to prominence, the public’s interest in Exotic and his predicament waned.
It’s unlikely we’ll hear much from President Trump about a possible pardon with less than months left until one of the country’s most important and controversial elections of all time, but stranger things have happened. Regardless, you’ve still got to hand it to the Tiger King for his moxie.
In related news, it’s been confirmed that an eight-episode series about Joe Exotic will air on Amazon Prime. Even better, the lead role will be given to everyone’s favorite wild and crazy actor, Nicolas Cage. And understandably so, expectations for it are sky high.
