Many of the events of March 2020 are things we’d just rather forget. Schools being closed, sports being cancelled, learning to work from home, hoarding toilet paper. As we all tried to navigate this new life in coronavirus quarantine, millions found one way to come together — through the shared experience of Netflix’s docuseries Tiger King. These big cat enthusiasts were larger than life, and their stories stranger than fiction. It was inevitable that Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin would be characters adapted for future projects, and with Peacock's Joe vs. Carole, that time has come. 

Critics were able to screen the series ahead of its release, and well, it’s tough out there in the wild. Despite starring the unquestionably talented John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon as the title characters, the critics seem to think this story was one best left back in 2020, and they are not pulling their punches. Let’s take a look at the reviews — roasts are probably a better word for them — and some of the more interesting opinions about Joe vs. Carole. 

Daniel Fienberg of THR says the cultural phenomenon “which captivated America between March 2020 and March 2020” is likely not worth a two-hour movie, much less an eight-hour series. 

Brian Lowry of CNN says Joe vs. Carole arrives anew to our screens after the story has "exhausted its nine lives." (Cat puns, yay!) In fact, this review points out that Carole Baskin’s real-life turn on reality TV proves how past its prime this series is.

Kristen Lopez of IndieWire says if Peacock is hoping for this to be its first breakout series, it “bet on the wrong cat,” pointing out that even Netflix couldn’t find more success with this story when it released Tiger King 2 late last year.

Brian Tallerico of The Playlist says the title Joe vs. Carole implies a fight, but somehow these larger-than-life characters have been made into “deadly boring” versions of themselves.

The performance of John Cameron Mitchell gets shout-outs from several of the critics, including Caroline Femke of Variety, who says he comes close to saving the project:

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair also gives John Cameron Mitchell the credit he’s due for playing Joe Exotic, but he and other critics think Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin sometimes seems to be stuck in an over-extended Saturday Night Live sketch.

Rachael Sigee of inews says Peacock failed to recognize the Tiger King obsession for what it was — a moment in time — and says from the CGI tigers to the Halloween-costume versions of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, you just can’t dramatize people already living as caricatures.

Other than a couple of good notes on the performances — namely John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic — most of the critics seem to think the Tiger King era has run its course, and there’s just not a lot of nostalgia for the early days of the COVID pandemic. However, if you think this series is for you, by all means, check it out! Joe vs. Carole is available for streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, and be sure to also check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

Viewers are finally getting a first look at the long-anticipated Peacock series Joe Vs. Carole, starring John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Maldonado-Passage and Kate McKinnon as his rival, Carole Baskin. The trailer above promises an all-out war between the big-cat enthusiasts, as well as all the absurdity that initially attracted audiences to Netflix’s zeitgeist-snatching 2020 docuseries Tiger King. Just as it went in the docuseries, there will clearly be no shortage of guns and explosions either.

Saturday Night Live vet Kate McKinnon seems to be bringing a self-awareness to the role of Carole Baskin, especially in the smaller moments, such as the irony of Baskin’s being allergic to cats. But this won’t be just a dramatized retelling of Tiger King, as the Peacock series is based on Wondery's podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King and will dive into the history of Baskin and Joe Exotic’s animalistic feud. The trailer promises to give audiences the other half of the story: 

Tiger King certainly was stranger than fiction, so I’m really intrigued to see what Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell’s performances will add to the story. The trailer shows Carole Baskin speaking with investigators about Joe Exotic’s history of abusing animals in an attempt to shut down his roadside zoo, and he doesn’t take kindly to Baskins’ attempt on his livelihood. It results in Exotic launching an offensive of his own, as shown in the trailer when he blows up a mattress, and Baskin comedically describes him shooting a blow-up doll that was dressed like her.

While this story couldn’t be told without its comedy, Joe Vs. Carole — which was previously titled Joe Exotic — looks like it’s going to take a dramatic turn, as Joe Exotic says, “Someone’s gotta kill that bitch,” and Carole Baskin and her husband Howard are shown buying their own firearms. The trailer even shows a man coming out of the woods and seemingly pointing a gun at the bike-riding Baskin. The real-life Joe Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence for a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting Baskin, and many of his experiences since Tiger King's debut have been anything but comedic.

Along the way, Joe Vs. Carole looks to feature a number of moments familiar to Tiger King fans. Joe Exotic’s three-way wedding to John Finlay and Travis Maldonado, complete with hot pink button-downs, is shown, as well as him dressing up in a king’s robe with a scepter for the filming of the documentary.

The wardrobes are a thing of beauty, and could have been taken right from Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s closets — even Baskin was shocked to see first looks — with Joe Exotic’s infamous nothing-but-a-Speedo look, as well as him rocking a vest over his bare chest. Baskin is, of course, donning nothing but animal prints, and there’s a quick joke about what appears to be her Dancing With the Stars costume.

Joe Exotic and his crew captured the intrigue of viewers with Tiger King's documentary footage, and adding the humor of Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell into the mix has definitely piqued my interest. Here's hoping the fictionalized version can reach the same heights as the docuseries.

Joe Vs. Carole premieres Thursday, March 3, on Peacock, with all episodes debuting in one fell swoop. Check out some cool things you can get with a subscription to Peacock Premium.

We’re just over a week away from Netflix’s release of Tiger King 2, and while we knew Carole Baskin — Joe Exotic’s nemesis who was featured heavily in Season 1 — refuses to have anything more to do with the Netflix docuseries, it looks like Baskin isn’t about to roll over in her tiger cage either. The Big Cat Rescue CEO and her husband Howard Baskin filed a complaint against Netflix last week alleging breach of contract regarding their appearance in promotional material for Season 2.

Netflix doesn’t seem to be too worried about the Baskins’ claims, however, saying that the big cat enthusiasts signed multiple releases for Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in 2019 that, according to court documents obtained by People, "explicitly permit Defendants to use the footage in later projects.” The streaming service and Royal Goode Productions said despite Carole Baskin’s wish to disassociate from Tiger King 2, Netflix had already secured all of the necessary paperwork from the Baskins to use the footage. The defendants explained in the court documents:

Strong words from Netflix, to be sure, but it’s no surprise after everything Carole Baskin has dealt with since the first season of Tiger King aired that she’d do everything in her power to get as far away from the project as possible. In Tiger King's first season, which became a binge sensation in early 2020 as much of the country was stuck at home quarantining from COVID, Joe Exotic accused Baskin of being involved in the disappearance her first husband, Don Lewis. 

In the aftermath of the series, the authenticity of Don Lewis’ will was called into question, with a Florida sheriff saying the signature on Lewis’ will had been found to be “100 percent a forgery.” And as Carole Baskin competed on Dancing With the Stars (in tiger-themed numbers, naturally), Lewis’ family aired a commercial asking for information about his disappearance. Lewis’ three daughters and his former assistant also filed a lawsuit against Baskin regarding jokes that had been made at Lewis’ expense on Dancing With the Stars and Good Morning America.

Carole Baskin slammed Tiger King and its creators earlier this year, calling the series “a reality show dumpster fire.” She’s openly discussed how the finished docuseries was not what she had discussed with the directors, and she disagreed with the way she was portrayed in the series. Along with the legal trouble, Baskin said she spent months repairing relationships with her friends and family over what they saw on the Netflix show. Her concern that the same thing will happen after Tiger King 2’s release is why she says she will be tuning in to Netflix come November 17.

Along with the upcoming Netflix release, Kate McKinnon’s Peacock series Joe Exotic is also in development, with the Saturday Night Live veteran set to play Carole Baskin. No release date has been set for that, but stay up to date with our 2021 TV Schedule to see what’s premiering through the end of the year.

It seems like it happened forever ago, but it was just early in 2020 when Tiger King came along on Netflix and took the country by storm. The true crime docuseries was so popular, in fact, that it led to several other shows about the case of Joe Exotic and his assorted friends and enemies being given the go-ahead. One of those, aptly titled Joe Exotic, has been filming for several weeks, with us finally getting a first look at star Kate McKinnon as Exotic’s competitor / enemy, Carole Baskin. Now, we know what the real Baskin thinks of seeing McKinnon play her for the Peacock series, and her review is pretty good.

Kate McKinnon has become very well-known for her many impressions and wild characterizations as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast over the years, so it’s not a huge surprise that she was tapped to take on the cool cat / kitten known as Carole Baskin in Joe Exotic. All along, Baskin was shown to be quite a character in her own right, and now that images of McKinnon have leaked from the set of the new show, she has talked to TMZ about it.

Baskin told the outlet that she was stunned to see the photos of McKinnon as her, mostly because whomever is in charge of wardrobe for the Joe Exotic cast has nailed her clothing. In the pictures, McKinnon is sporting a wig to copy Baskin’s long, blonde hair, along with a teal cardigan, jeans, a multi-colored animal print shirt, and a chunky necklace. Apparently, in real life Baskin does have nearly the same outfit, and she even noted that the addition of the necklace (which also matches a real item of hers) was a special surprise, because she never had it on for any of her Tiger King interviews.

The cat-loving lady also said that McKinnon seems to have totally accessed her own inner cat lady to pull off the look, and was also shocked to see the production using a 2012 Toyota pickup as her vehicle, because that is what she drives.

Joe Exotic will be based on the Wondery podcast, Joe Exotic: Tiger King, which was hosted by Robert Moor and brought Exotic’s story its first round of major mainstream attention. The Peacock series will follow the rivalry between Baskin and Exotic, which began when she learned that he was breeding and then using his big cats for profit, and made moves to try and shut down his roadside zoo. 

Baskin was seen as a somewhat sympathetic person in the docuseries, until talk of her past and questions about what happened to her second husband came up. Exotic accused Baskin of killing him and then feeding him to her tigers to get rid of the evidence, which led to a whole new round of allegations and investigations for Baskin after Tiger King aired. 

According to Baskin, Joe Exotic will show her relationship with her current husband, Howard (who’ll be played by Kyle MacLachlan), but she has no idea how her feud with Exotic (actor, director, and playwright John Cameron Mitchell) will play out this time around. At least Carole Baskin can rest easy knowing that Kate McKinnon has her cat-focused fashions down pat.

We don’t know when Joe Exotic will air on Peacock just yet, but you can check out our 2021 fall TV schedule while you wait for updates.

It's been over a year since Netflix's Tiger King since hit our screens and, for the most part, the hype had mostly died down. However, Netflix isn't quite done with the story of Joe Exotic, as it was recently announced that work on Tiger King 2 is underway, much to the dismay of Exotic's rival. Carole Baskin. The Big Cat Rescue CEO recently slammed the docuseries' creators after the Season 2 update but she also explained why she’ll still need to watch it when it streams.

It makes sense that Carole Baskin wouldn’t be thrilled about another documentary, especially since she’s been on the receiving end of so many jokes and has experienced legal trouble since the series aired last year. In an interview with Variety, Baskin said she assumed there would be more to the docuseries and was aware they were working on Season 2 but that she doesn’t consider it a documentarian work at all. In fact, she calls the whole production a “dumpster fire,” saying:

According to Carole Baskin, the Tiger King directors did not do her justice, and the finished documentary apparently wasn’t what they had discussed. In the same interview, Baskin recalled the conversations she had to have with her friends and family to set the record straight about the way she was portrayed, which is something she assumes will need to happen again after Tiger King’s second season. With this, it seems she'll be tuning in for this new season:

During Netflix's fan event, Tudum, it was announced that Tiger King 2 is set to be released on Netflix on November 17. While it sounds like Carole Baskin will be watching right along with us, it’s unclear if Joe Exotic will be allowed to tune in from his jail cell. Fans of the wild docuseries may also want to keep an eye out for the upcoming Joe Exotic series for Peacock TV, which is sure to capture the essence of the polarizing doc.

Kyle MacLachlan has certainly had an interesting career, having had stints on both the big and small screens. When it comes to the latter, he’s had stints on Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, his most famous role is arguably that of eccentric FBI agent Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks. Many no doubt know just how trippy and strange the original show and the revival miniseries could get but, now, the actor is arguably heading into other strange territory. That’s right, he’s joining Kate McKinnon’s Joe Exotic series in a key role.

Peacock’s currently untitled Joe Exotic series has been steadily building its cast over the past few months. So far, it’s found some strong actors to portray the eclectic array of figures that were present in the former zoo owner’s orbit. Kate McKinnon is portraying Exotic’s rival Carol Baskin, and now, Kyle MacLachlan is set to play Baskin’s husband, Howard Baskin, according to THR.

Now, just to be clear, Kyle MacLachlan is playing Carole Baskin’s third husband, who appeared prominently in Netflix’s docuseries. Some may be quick to mistake the role for Baskin’s second husband, Don Lewis, the businessman who infamously disappeared back in 1997 and was declared dead in 2002. That situation has put Baskin at the center of massive speculation, and it’s also resulted in a few legal issues for her as well.

Joining Kyle MacLachlan and Kate McKinnon on the Joe Exotic series are Wiliam Fitcher (replacing Dennis Quaid) in the role of producer Rick Kirkham, Dean Winters as Exotic’s former business partner Jeff Lowe, Joel Marsh Garland as Exotic’s friend James Garretson, along with newcomer Lex Mayson in the role of Saff, an employee at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. And last but not least, Exotic himself will be portrayed by actor, director and playwright John Cameron Mitchell, who seems eager to sink his teeth into the role.

While not quite as old as Howard Baskin, Kyle MacLachlan does slightly resemble the man, but MacLachlan’s acting abilities should certainly allow him to effectively embody the role. It’ll also be fun to see him play off of Kate McKinnon and, with this being a Carole Baskin-centric series, the two are sure to share a lot of screen time.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the only scripted Joe Exotic-related production that’s currently in the works. Another project is currently in the works at CBS and is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video at some point in the future. And the eight-episode series has managed to land Nicolas Cage in the role of Exotic.

It’s pretty much a given that Kyle MacLachlan and his co-stars have a wild ride ahead of them but, thanks to his past work, MacLachlan should be prepared for the weirdness. But I honestly think the jury is still out on whether the exploits within the town of Twin Peaks, Washington actually top a bitter war between two animal enthusiasts.

Truth is stranger than fiction, and that was certainly proven with Netflix’s hit 2020 docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. But that fact hasn’t stopped filmmakers from wanting to fictionalize the weird world of big cat enthusiasts Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. The Kate McKinnon-backed scripted series Joe Exotic, which will stream exclusively on Peacock, is just one of several follow-up projects to center around the self-proclaimed “redneck, gun-toting, mullet-sporting, tiger-tackling gay polygamist.” (Amazon also has a scripted series in development, with Nicholas Cage set to star as Joe Exotic.)

Peacock’s Joe Exotic is based on the Wondery podcast Over My Dead Body, whose second season explores the world of big cat owners Joe Exotic (real name: Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage) and his nemesis Carole Baskin. Even if there weren't tigers involved, this was a story worth telling — from Baskin's questionable past to Joe Exotic's flamboyant lifestyle, and the rivalry that ended in a prison sentence - and the podcast drew acclaim from listeners and Baskin herself for its more objective perspective. Aside from Kate McKinnon, who will co-star as the aforementioned nemesis, plenty of well-known names are attached to portray the Tiger King's crew. Let’s take a look at an updated list of confirmed cast members for the highly anticipated streaming series Joe Exotic.

John Cameron Mitchell (Joe Exotic)

A star of stage and screen, John Cameron Mitchell will play the ostentatious title character, Joe Exotic, and Mitchell's spicy career seems appropriate for the role. Mitchell co-wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway hit Hedwig and the Angry Itch, and also directed and starred in the film version. Along with multiple theater roles both on Broadway and otherwise, Mitchell directed Rabbit Hole in 2010, starring Nicole Kidman. He’s directed music videos for Bright Eyes and Sigur Ros, as well as episodes of Nurse Jackie and GLOW. As an actor, Mitchell plays Gabe Parrish on the Hulu series Shrill and has had recurring roles on Girls and The Good Fight. He can also currently be heard on Anthem: Homunculus, a dark, musical podcast. Playing Joe Exotic will be a walk in the park for Mitchell.

Kate McKinnon (Carole Baskin)

Kate McKinnon, known for making us laugh as a longtime member of Saturday Night Live, will take on the role of Carole Baskin, the head of Big Cat Rescue with a possibly scandalous past who got caught up in a dangerous rivalry with Joe Exotic. McKinnon’s sketch comedy pre-dates SNL, as she was part of the original cast of The Big Gay Sketch Show. She is also known for co-starring in the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters, and has has built up a solid voice work career with multiple projects including The Angry Birds Movie, The Venture Bros., Finding Dory and voicing Ms. Frizzle on The Magic School Bus Rides Again.

Sam Keeley (John Finlay)

John Finlay, the ex-husband of Joe Exotic who became as famous for his gap-tooth smile as his relationship with the Tiger King, will be portrayed by Sam Keeley. The role seems like a departure for the Irish actor, who played Cooper Roback on the military drama 68 Whiskey and can also be found on the British sports drama The English Game on Netflix. But Keeley has done films of all genres, including historical action (In the Heart of the Sea), sci-fi (Monsters: Dark Continent) and horror (The Cured), so it’ll be interesting to see how Keeley embodies the animal lover.

Dennis Quaid (Rick Kirkham)

Rick Kirkham, the producer of Joe Exotic TV who witnessed (if not outright enabled) many of Joe Exotic's antics, is surely interesting enough to lead his own biographical series, so it's fitting that colorful Hollywood legend Dennis Quaid will play him in the Peacock series. Quaid has played a number of significant roles across genres, including A Dog's Journey and A Dog's Purpose as Ethan, The Parent Trap, The Rookie, Any Given Sunday, The Right Stuff and The Big Easy. The actor's mastery of comedy and drama, combined with some antics of his own, should lend themselves well to the world of Joe Exotic.

Brian Van Holt (John Reinke)

John Reinke, who lost both of his legs in a non-tiger-related accident, played a big part in Joe Exotic's story as a manager at the G.W. Zoo, and it will be Brian Van Holt portraying him on the TV series. Van Holt was most recently seen on the Fox drama Deputy as Cade Ward, but may be better known for his role as Bobby Cobb on the ABC sitcom Cougar Town. He is also known for his dual role in the 2005 thriller House of Wax, and along with being part of Ascension's main cast and recurring on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Van Holt has appeared on hit shows including Sons of Anarchy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigators and Burn Notice.

Nat Wolff (Travis Maldonado)

Nat Wolff will play another of Joe Exotic's husbands with the role of Travis Maldonado, whose drug abuse and tragic death were detailed in an episode of Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries. Wolff got his start as part of The Naked Brothers Band, a Nickelodeon series co-starring his brother Alex. He is also well-known for his roles in two John Green teen film adaptations, Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars, as well as for his role as Jeremiah in Admission alongside Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Most recently Wolff played Lloyd Henreid on the CBS All-Access mini-series The Stand.

It'll be interesting to see how some of these stranger-than-fiction stories will be handled in the Peacock scripted series, particularly when it comes to the more sensitive subjects like Travis Maldonado's death and the multiple animal abuse allegations. But with the popularity surrounding the big cat sanctuaries and their staff, it's sure to draw an audience, which will no doubt also be taken in by Kate McKinnon and the rest of this stellar ensemble cast. There's no doubt Joe Exotic will be entertaining in one way or another, but while waiting for first-look images and trailers, be sure to check out everything coming to 2021 summer TV!

Listen up, all you cool cats and kittens. If you were looking forward to seeing Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin from Netflix’s Tiger King in the new scripted series, Joe Exotic, I have some bad news for you, at least if you are an old school TV subscriber. If you want to watch the new TV project, you're going to need to add a streaming service to your bill.

Joe Exotic, starring the Ghostbusters star and John Cameron Mitchell, will stream exclusively on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, according to Deadline. The bad bit of this news is that this actually reverses the company’s decision made back in August to air the series across its platforms including NBC and USA Network, opting to now air the series solely on the subscription streaming service.

The decision reportedly comes after Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming (who joined after the Kate McKinnon series was purchased) and her team saw scripts and heard more about the producers’ vision for the show. Following that, it was reportedly believed to be more suited for the streaming environment rather than traditional broadcast television. In addition to the report, Rovner explained the decision to move Joe Exotic to Peacock in a statement:

Joe Exotic is based on the second season of Wondery’s Over My Dead Body podcast. Kate McKinnon will play big cat enthusiast Carole Baskin, while Cameron Mitchell will play the Tiger King himself, Joe Exotic. In the series, Carole “learns that her fellow exotic animal lover” Joe Exotic is breeding and using his big cats for profit. She then sets out to shut it down, which will incite a rivalry between the two. However, as most know by now, Carole has a dark past of her own and “when the claws come out,” Joe will stop at nothing to expose her.

The good news? This limited series is one of multiple projects about the Tiger King folk, popularized by the Netflix docuseries. Another is in development at Amazon with Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic. At one point, Ryan Murphy was planning a series with Rob Lowe portraying the Tiger King. Despite the docuseries coming out over a year ago, the hype is still there and will undoubtedly remain while these series are being developed. Though it will be interesting to see how the story is portrayed in fiction, since Kate McKinnon and Nicolas Cage evoke different types of performances.

Working with wild animals means a lot of unknowns. We saw this previously in 2020 when Tiger King first hit Netflix and shared the story of Joe Exotic’s G.W. Zoo staffer Saffery and how she lost her arm during a gruesome accident in the now-defunct park. Now, Exotic’s rival Carole Baskin saw a volunteer deal with a tiger attack in a similar manner at her Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.

News broke this week that Big Cat Rescue saw a tiger take a bite out of one of Carole Baskin’s longtime volunteers at Big Cat Rescue. According to reports, Candy Couser stuck her hand into Kima the tigers’ enclosure in order to open the cage for feeding time and Kimba decided her hand looked like a better meal.

In fact, per TMZ, Kimba bit down hard on Candy Couser’s hand and then began “thrashing,” a move which caused Candy Couser’s arm to nearly get “torn off at the shoulder.” Three employees were on hand after the accident happened and were able to apply a tourniquet and staunch the bleeding until Hillsborough Fire Rescue was on the scene about 15 minutes after they got the 8:30 a.m. call.

As noted prior, this isn’t the first time that a tiger at one of the animal sanctuaries spotlighted during Netflix’s popular Tiger King docuseries has gotten violent. During the events of Tiger King itself, G.W. Zoo staffer Saffery also suffered a similar injury. When he went to the hospital, Saffery was given the choice to go through two years of surgery or amputate, ultimately choosing the latter so he could get back to work. Tiger King spoke with Saffery and goes deep into the story during the Netflix doc.

At Carole Baskin’s rescue center, most of the people working under Baskin and her husband -- the one who's not missing -- are volunteers. As detailed in the documentary, volunteers who have been around for different periods of times wear different colored shirts. Candy Couser seems to be a “green shirt” member of Carole Baskin’s staff, which means she is a “Senior Keeper,” according to the lingo the staff uses.

This means she volunteers regularly, has experience at the zoo and has been working at the Big Cat Rescue for at least four years. Green shirts are trained and allowed to work with the big cats, while people with less experience often work with animals like lynxes or in the gift shop.

According to a statement from Big Cat rescue, the volunteer does not want Kimba harmed, though she will be quarantined for 30 days as a precaution. The reason the attack allegedly happened, according to the Baskin family, is because safety protocols were not properly regarded and Candy Couser was not abiding by rules about unclipping a second gate when Kimba latched onto her arm:

In this case, it sounds like Candy Couser may keep her arm and her life, which sounds like a lucky break. Being the victim of a tiger attack is no joke and we hope she recovers in good spirits in the coming weeks.

It seems like a lifetime ago that we first feasted our eyes on Netflix’s Tiger King and learned of the bitter feud between former zoo owner Joe Exotic (whose actual name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage) and activist Carole Baskin. The rivalry reached a major turning point when Exotic was arrested on numerous charges, including two counts of murder-for-hire. Exotic, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, is still hoping to get out and is currently aiming to get a pardon from President Trump and, now, Carole Baskin has weighed in on the matter.

Carole Baskin didn’t hold back when discussing the situation, saying that she can’t see why someone would see fit to release Joe Exotic from prison early. For her, the charges against Exotic are reasons why he shouldn’t be pardoned:

Based on her comments to The Morning Show, it doesn’t sound like Carole Baskin doesn’t care for the idea of Joe Exotic being released from prison early. As of right now, it’s unclear as to whether or not Exotic will actually get his wish.

Joe Exotic has been quite vocal during his incarceration. The Tiger King star gave an interview earlier in the year in which he declared that prison hadn’t made him any less “crazy.” He’s also expressed concerns about his health, especially since he was put in quarantine during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exotic, who says he suffers from several lingering ailments, expressed fears for his life. At one point, he even claimed that he would be “dead in 2-3 months.” Despite all of this, Exotic is still feeling good about his chances of getting a pardon.

Meanwhile, Carole Baskin actually gained control of Exotic’s former G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park after he failed to pay Baskin $1 million owed to her in a trademark infringement dispute. Baskin was also recently a contestant on Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars, and her inclusion managed to drum up a bit of controversy. She’s also dealing with a legal battle, as she’s being sued for defamation by the family of her late husband, Don Lewis.

It can honestly be said that the Tiger King saga just keeps getting wilder as time goes on. It remains to be seen how things pan out for both Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin in their respective legal situations, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

And if you still haven’t seen Netflix’s Tiger King, you can do so by streaming it on Netflix.

Halloween is upon us and, with it, comes a cavalcade of costumes from folks across social media. Of course, general social media users aren’t the only ones who share their holiday looks, as celebrities also enjoy getting in on the fun. 2019 was a year that was filled with notable Halloween outfits, including Gabrielle Union’s Bring It On-inspired mother-daughter costumes. Of course, the Kardashian-Jenner family typically joins the festivities, and Kim Kardashian chose to be Tiger King’s Carole Baskin this year. The result is something that may not leave your brain immediately.

Kim Kardashian recently posted a Halloween snapshot of her in costume as Tiger King alum Carole Baskin. In the image, she’s also joined by longtime friend Jonathan Cheban, who assumed the role of Joe Exotic, and her four kids, who are dressed as tiger cubs. You can check out the image for yourself down below:

Is it weird that whenever I see Carole Baskin moving forward, I’ll probably just be thinking about Kim Kardashian’s take on her look? Yeah… it’s weird. Though that still doesn’t change the fact that Kardashian’s costume is spot-on. With Tiger King mania having hit the world earlier this year, it was only natural that the craze would find its way into the Halloween season through costumes, even though some were dressing like Tiger King alums way before October.

Kim Kardashian will soon be followed by others who are set to embody Carole Baskin, although these people will be playing her on either film or television. SNL fan favorite Kate McKinnon is set to play Carole Baskin on NBC’s Tiger King series, which honestly sounds like perfect casting. Meanwhile, Baskin is also set to be portrayed in a big-screen adaptation, with the producers reportedly eyeing Tara Reid, another solid casting choice. Now, I’m wondering how Kim Kardashian would play the character in a TV or film project.

While that more than likely won’t be happening, Kim Kardashian has had other reasons to celebrate as of late. The reality TV star just had her 40th birthday, which was a throwback to many of her past birthday bashes.

And of course, she marked the occasion in the most Kim Kardashian way possible. She posted a photo of herself in a bikini, declaring “This is 40!” We’d expect nothing less from the starlet, who will also be saying goodbye to her long-running reality TV show very soon.

Kim Kardashian’s take on Carole Baskin is only one of many costumes that we’ll likely see before Halloween weekend is over. There’s no telling who celebrities will choose to dress up as, but you can bet they’re going to bring their A-games just like everyone else.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more news from the world of TV and movies.

The disappearance of Carole Baskin’s first husband, Don Lewis, was one of the various topics that was covered in Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries. In the doc, Lewis’ family expressed skepticism regarding his whereabouts and accused Baskin of having a hand in his disappearance. Recently, the family debuted a commercial, which aired during Dancing with the Stars (on which Baskin is a contestant this season).

In the commercial, Lewis’ daughters and former assistant made an appeal to the public for information regarding his disappearance and Baskin’s suspected involvement. Now, the family has taken things a step further by suing Baskin.

Don Lewis’ family is suing Carole Basking for defamation. According to court documents (via ET), Lewis’ three daughters, Gale, Lynda and Donna, and former assistant Anne McQueen allege that Baskin was “complicit with jokes” regarding Lewis’ death while competing on Dancing with the Stars. The family believes Baskin did not make attempts to shoot down or condemn the comments made on the show.

The family’s lawsuit also claims that Carole Baskin was also complicit with jokes that were made about Lewis during a recent Good Morning America interview. The statement in question was a remark made by Baskin, who said she’d “really kill it next week” on DWTS. In a statement to the trade, Jon Phillips, the Lewis family’s attorney, explained that this defamation lawsuit was filed as Baskin settled a libel and slander claim with Anne McQueen which goes back to 1998. Baskin ultimately paid $50,000 in the settlement. Phillips also chastised Dancing with the Stars producers for allegedly making jokes as well.

Court documents also claim that Carole Baskin has recently published new information about her relationship with Don Lewis through videos that Baskin claims are from the past. Phillips alleges that Baskin used Tiger King as “a springboard” for exposure and that she’s currently using the videos to do the same. He says this is why Lewis’ family chose to take action:

This is far from the first legal battle Carole Baskin has been involved with in recent years. Earlier this summer, a federal judge granted her full control of Joe Exotic’s G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park. Baskin had previously engaged in a trademark infringement lawsuit with Exotic. The court ultimately ruled in her favor and required Exotic to pay her a sum of $1 million, though he reportedly never paid the full amount.

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Dancing with the Stars got off to a (tiger) roaring start with Carole Baskin taking center stage, as the Tiger King subject performed the Paso Doble to no less than Survivor’s apropos “Eye of the Tiger” with her pro-partner Pasha Pashkov. Not too far from the eye of last night’s premiere was the family of Baskin’s missing husband Don Lewis, who set up a damning commercial to air on ABC during her DWTS debut.

Don Lewis' family did not want Dancing with the Stars viewers to get caught up in the excitement of Season 29 so much that they forgot the mystery surrounding competitor Carole Baskin’s missing husband. Lewis’ daughters, as well as his former assistant, gathered to film a commercial that asked for the public’s help in procuring information regarding Lewis’ disappearance and Baskin’s possible involvement. Check it out below:

In the video, Don Lewis’ daughters Gale, Lynda and Donna make a point to remind the public about the $100,000 reward being offered for information regarding the high-profile case. In a cold case worthy of Unsolved Mysteries, Lewis vanished back in 1997, with many suspicious that he was killed and his remains were eaten by tigers. Carole Baskin’s participation as a contestant in Dancing with the Stars created new fame for the animal advocate and activist, and Don Lewis’ family utilized it to shine a light on their dad’s case.

Before this unexpected Dancing with the Stars commercial, the Lewis family’s plight and the surrounding mystery were covered extensively in the Netflix docuseries, Tiger King. Earlier this year, the phenomenon surrounding Tiger King reignited the public’s interest in Don Lewis’ disappearance and questions that have been floating around for the 23 years since. In the docuseries, Lewis’ family openly shared their suspicions about Baskin’s involvement in the case.

Not too long after Tiger King’s release, the local sheriff revealed he was looking into new leads in the missing persons’ case. That was back in spring, and so far, no charges have gotten brought up concerning Don Lewis’ disappearance. Carole Baskin’s life definitely changed after it aired, as she attracted tons of attention, both positive and negative, with her Dancing with the Stars debut obviously among her more recent activities. Meanwhile, accusations have continued to fly.

Don Lewis’ former attorney, Joseph Fritz, alleged that Carole Baskin had forged Lewis’ signature to take control of Lewis’ money. Despite that, Baskin is not letting the accusations cause her to avoid the spotlight, even if she probably won't be taking the Mirrorball trophy home. In her Dancing with the Stars debut, Baskin and her pro-partner scored 11 points out of a possible 30 for the duo’s Paso Doble.

It'll be interesting to see whether the commercial commissioned by Don Lewis' daughters actually leads to any breaks in the investigation. Dancing with the Stars has traditionally garnered a large audience, so the appeal garnered considerable visibility. Plus, it is also on YouTube, where it has already garnered over 100,000 views (as of this writing). Stay tuned to see what happens.

You can keep watching to see if more commercials from the family of Carole Baskin’s missing husband air during Dancing with the Stars when Season 29 continues next Monday, September 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. In the meantime, check out what other shows are waltzing onto this fall’s schedule.

Carole Baskin came into her spot in the limelight following her appearances in Netflix’s docuseries Tiger King, and became a household name thanks to her rivalry with Joe Exotic, her obsession with big cats, and the rumors surrounding the circumstances of her husband’s death. Baskin has moved on to new things now and will be taking to the stage in Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars, and in a very on-brand move, her first number will absolutely involve a tiger.

Dancing with the Stars won’t be the first time audiences have seen Carole Baskin dance, but it will be the first time it'll be done in a professional and competitive setting. In the past, Baskin has always made it a point to include tigers in some way — be it by wearing a tiger-print onesie, shirts, jewelry, etc. — and Dancing with the Stars will be no different in that regard. Speaking with EW, Baskin revealed exactly how she will be incorporating tigers into her first performance, which will be the paso doble. Here’s what she said:

Performing the paso doble to “Eye of the Tiger” is very fitting for the owner of Big Cat Rescue. Her requests for costuming are quite specific, and she clearly won't be dressed as a bird in a motorcycle gang, but it sure sounds like animal print could still be an option for use in her outfit. We won’t get to see Carole Baskin’s performance until next week, but I’d wager that it’ll be a roaring good time.

Ahead of the performance reveal, Carole Baskin appeared on Good Morning America alongside the rest of the Season 29 cast and didn’t shy away from discussing Tiger King. Considering all the negative attention she still gets from how she was portrayed, Baskin didn’t have any kind words, and accused the docuseries of glamorizing animal abusers and villainizing her in the process. My guess is that she’ll use her frustration with the Netflix show and channel it into her paso doble, a dance which is purposeful and fueled by emotion. Even without a live audience to cheer her on, having Rocky's theme pumping through the speakers could definitely be inspirational.

In addition to Carole Baskin, the Dancing with the Stars Season 29 cast includes Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, Nelly, One Day At a Time’s Justina Machado, figure skater Johnny Weir, Skai Jackson, and Cheer’s Monica Aldama, among several others. Between the cast, Tyra Banks taking over in place of ousted hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, and a new judge, I'm not lion when I say I think Season 29 will be quite an interesting one.

Dancing with the Stars Season 29 is set to premiere on Monday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule for options.

Thankfully, several TV shows have been able to go back into production so that we can enjoy at least some of our expected content this fall. One of the most anticipated shows is always Dancing with the Stars, and the new lineup of competitors was just announced with great (virtual) fanfare, giving fans a lot of exciting surprises for the upcoming season. Tiger King's Carole Baskin will be joining the fray this year, on a season which is already set to be full of big changes, and she's now given her blunt thoughts about fans of the Netflix docuseries after her DWTS casting.

There have truly been some major pop culture moments this year, despite the big break and many letdowns the entertainment industry has seen over the past several months. Among those major events was the release of Tiger King, which introduced many of us to the crazy true stories of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and the wild world of roadside zoos and the people who try to stop those zoos and the animal abuses they believe happen at many of them.

While Joe Exotic is the one who ended up in prison not long after the events shown in the series, Baskin got (and is still getting) a lot of negative attention herself. While participating in the cast reveal for Dancing with the Stars on Good Morning America earlier this week, Baskin was asked what this year has been like for her once people watched Tiger King, and the head cool cat had some very blunt things to say:

Well, it's pretty hard to dispute Carole Baskin's main point here, which was that she felt "villainized" while Joe Exotic and some of the other roadside zoo owners shown in Tiger King were "glamorized," even though Exotic is the one went to prison, partially for trying to have Baskin killed, and is clearly not great at making good decisions (at the very least). While big-cat activist and sanctuary owner Baskin should have been an easy one to see as a hero in the series, there were, of course, some pretty big things standing in the way of most viewers forming such an opinion.

For one thing, as much as we all came to realize that a lot of the things that went on at Exotic's zoo, both with the animals and with the people who worked there (and in his personal life) were less than great, he's a much flashier and wilder real-life character than Baskin, so a lot of people were more easily drawn to him. There are also a lot of viewers who feel like Baskin's rescue efforts and the resulting sanctuary aren't much different than the roadside zoos she's been working to shutdown for so many years.

On top of all that, of course, are the many questions surrounding the disappearance and possible death of Carole Baskin's former husband, Don Lewis, which was a big plot of the docuseries, especially because Joe Exotic openly accused her of murdering Lewis in the show. And, as we know, there are still some shady details about his disappearance (which do sometimes involve Baskin) which continue to come to light.

Speaking of light, Baskin was asked if she's hoping that appearing on Dancing with the Stars will let people see her in a new light, after having so many suspicions about her because of Tiger King, and Baskin answered:

Whatever your thoughts on Carole Baskin, the animals do seem to be her main focus with all she does, so I fully expect to see a lot of fake tiger, leopard and other big cat prints during her performances on Dancing with the Stars, along with a stuffed animal or two. Baskin might not have made it into that Justin Bieber music video, but she's, arguably, scored herself a much bigger audience now.

Dancing with the Stars will be back on ABC this fall with Carole Baskin and many more celebrities, and will debut on Monday, September 14, at 8:00 p.m. EST. For more on what to watch in the coming weeks, check out our guide to fall TV!

The Tiger King saga has been a long and admittedly, weird one, to say the least, as the drama surrounding the rise and fall of Joe Exotic just doesn’t seem to be going away. With Exotic currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, Jeff Lowe received ownership of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. But Exotic’s rival, Carole Baskin, gained control of the grounds after a judge ruled that the property was “fraudulently transferred,” stemming from a copyright lawsuit previously filed by Baskin.

Jeff Lowe, who vowed to leave the property in shambles for Baskin, was required by law to vacate the area and remove all of the animals within 120 days of the ruling. Now, a new development seems to have sped up the closure of the park. Not only that, but it sounds like Lowe’s plans for his new park in Thackerville, Oklahoma have changed.

In a now-deleted post from the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park’s Facebook page, Lowe confirmed that the park will be closing for good, effectively immediately. The park’s closure comes after the US Department of Agriculture suspended Lowe’s exhibitor license. Despite the closure, the zoo operator is already looking ahead to the future. Lowe explained (via CNN) that the new park will serve as a private, film set, where Tiger King-related content will be produced for cable and streaming services.

The suspension of Lowe’s license comes after a USDA inspection found multiple violations, like animal food not being sufficiently refrigerated. Inspections also reported that animals appeared to be malnourished. Lowe claims he’s being targeted by animal groups and that the USDA is only folding to pressure from activists.

Before the inspection, the zoo was already in danger of closing as, earlier this year, the Oklahoma Tax Commission asked a judge to shut down the park due to delinquent tax sales. Reports claimed that Lowe and the park owed tens of thousands of dollars in taxes. Lowe was asked to cease all business operations after this, but he kept the park open, which is considered a misdemeanor punishable by fine or jail time.

Joe Exotic originally brought Jeff Lowe into the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in an attempt to improve the park. However, their visions for the park’s future soon clashed, and Exotic would accuse Lowe of trying to push him out of his business. But that didn’t stop Exotic from putting the park in Lowe’s name due to his own personal set of legal problems.

With the park closed, Lowe doesn’t seem to have any regrets, as he’s even previously spoken about his desire to leave the park behind and start anew. It’ll be interesting to see what’s left of the grounds when Carole Baskin officially takes ownership.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more from the world of TV and movies.

Although Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries aired months ago and Joe Exotic is now serving a 22-year prison sentence, the saga of his controversial zoo seems to be far from finished. The most recent development in the story saw ownership of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park go to Exotic’s longtime rival, Carole Baskin. However, the current owner -- Jeff Lowe -- has another hurdle to face, as the facility is now in danger of being shut down. But why is the zoo now facing closure?

Apparently, a judge has been asked by the Oklahoma Tax Commission to formally shut down the park on the grounds of delinquent tax sales. Per USA Today, owner Jeff Lowe and the park owe $50,274 in taxes that were collected in 2016. In addition, both Lowe and the zoo have yet to pay an undisclosed amount of taxes since then.

Jeff Lowe was ultimately told to cease all business operations when the Oklahoma Tax Commission refused to renew his tax permit back in May. Despite this, as explained by lawyers, Lowe has violated state law by keeping the park open, “which provides that it is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or jail time to conduct business without the requisite licensing.”

Some may be surprised that Jeff Lowe is still keeping things running against government orders, but the park has actually experienced a spike in popularity since the debut of the docuseries. The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park has reportedly garnered visitors from the across the country over the past several months.

Jeff Lowe was initially brought in by Joseph Maldonado-Passage (or Joe Exotic) to assist in enhancing the business. Maldonado-Passage would eventually put the park in Lowe’s name since he himself was dealing with legal problems at the time. And when Exotic eventually went to jail, Lowe and his wife became the co-operators of the zoo.

Despite keeping the park open, it’s become clear that Jeff Lowe has no love for Exotic’s property. The zoo owner has stated that he’s more than ready to leave the grounds and the memories of working with Joe Exotic behind. After he vacates the premises, he’s even planning to open up an even bigger facility in Thackerville, Oklahoma sometime this fall.

And by the time he leaves, he’s not exactly aiming to have things in the best shape for the incoming Carole Baskin. According to Lowe, the park is in a state of “complete hell,” and he has no plans to fix things up before heading out.

It’s unclear as to how Jeff Lowe plans to proceed following this new court order, especially given that his time as owner is just about up. All that can be said is that this paired with Carole Baskin’s ownership makes the future of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park fairly uncertain.

And if you still haven’t seen how it all began, you can still check out Tiger King on Netflix now.

Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness made Joe Exotic — whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — a household name. However, now that the docuseries is no longer trending as much, Exotic’s star has lost some of its shine. While his husband Dillon Passage has been enjoying newfound popularity, Exotic is still trying to get out of prison, and is now making the stark claim that he’ll “be dead in 2-3 months.”

The former zoo owner is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, having been convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire.(That's along with 17 other crimes, including nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.) From prison, Joe Exotic wrote a letter to his "supporters, fans, and loved ones,” which was acquired by TMZ. In it, he wrote three full pages filled with general grievances, some of which detailed the abuse of the prison system that he believed would contribute to his eventual death. He also asked President Trump, Cardi B, and Kim Kardashian for their assistance in his release from prison, believing the current health crisis to be over (which it’s not). Read some of what he wrote below:

Joe Exotic’s letter also reveals that the former zoo owner has not been visited by his husband for quite some time. (Dillon Passage recently partied it up with Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle star Bryce Hirschberg, however.) Exotic is clearly upset about the lack of communication from Passage and rather morosely claims that he should have just “have ended things” after the death of husband Travis Maldonado in 2017.

What’s more, Joe Exotic sounds incredibly annoyed that people are sending him screenshots of Dillon Passage. He claimed that it’s not funny and “not healthy” for him to see his husband hanging out with friends while he’s in prison. Most of the letter is quite despondent, with Exotic also writing:

Joe Exotic sounds a lot less hopeful than in the interview he provided Netflix with in March, where he promised that he would be “as crazy” when he eventually leaves prison (and he thinks he will). While Exotic’s been behind bars, his rival Carole Baskin has gained control over his zoo, and Nicolas Cage has been cast to play Exotic in a TV series, with other projects also in the works. Perhaps this is what Exotic meant about people making money off of him while he’s in prison.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is currently streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on Joe Exotic. For more on what to watch in the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide.

Just when it seemed the Tiger King craze was settling down, the Netflix docu-series' main subjects just keep making headlines in the show's wake. Joe Exotic's famed tiger zoo was awarded to Carole Baskin, and while the establishment's current operator Jeff Lowe has promised to make that experience miserable for her, she may have far bigger issues on the way. A sheriff involved in the case of Baskin's ex-husband has shared intriguing details about his death and disappearance, confirming there's more shadiness involved than viewers may have known.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has confirmed new information about the death of Don Lewis, as well as some of the suspicious activity that led investigators to believe Carole Baskin had a hand in his initial disappearance. Chronister talked specifically about observations made concerning Lewis' will, which transferred his fortune solely to Carole Baskin after his death. Here's how he put it to Tampa Bay's WTSP.

Though there were big suspicions previously that the signature on the will had been forged, based on the claims made by a woman who said she was forced to lie about being a witness for the will's signing, but having it now be proven true by two different experts is hopefully a step in the right direction. But the reason why authorities hadn't been able to move forward with a case there is because the statute of limitations had already expired. In Chad Chronister's words:

That suspicion has been enough to keep authorities interested, and having that confirmation could help to take things to the next step. As reported, the will of Don Lewis awarded his $10 million estate to Carole Baskin. The rest of his family was cut out of the fortune entirely, which is made all the more relevant now that experts have justified the police's suspicions that the will's signature was forged. That's enough to make even the most casual Tiger King viewer raise an eyebrow, much less all the conspiracy theorists who peg Baskin as the guilty party.

Chad Chronister has gone on the record and said he believes Carole Baskin played a role in Don Lewis' death, which may be why the department is still talking about the case years after its conclusion. As for the latest, Chronister revealed there's some new news in regards to the case that could become bigger news down the road, even if he couldn't share details. In his words:

Each passing day is only giving Netflix more content for Tiger King Season 2, but that's not a thing yet. While the streamer has added an after-show special with Joel McHale, it seems like anyone waiting for more Tiger King episodes will have to continue waiting until someone pulls the trigger. Personally, I'd say there's already more content than what Netflix had for Season 2 of Making A Murderer, so here's hoping the streaming service picks things up with Baskin and the zoo and see what happens next.

For anyone who still hasn't seen Tiger King yet, all episodes are up and currently available to stream on Netflix. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest news and updates on popular docuseries, and for a look at what's happening in television and movies the rest of 2020 and beyond.

A lot has happened since the events of the highly controversial (and extremely popular) Tiger King docuseries. The eponymous former zoo owner, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (or Joe Exotic), is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, while his former employees have become something of celebrities due to their involvement in the Netflix documentary. More recently, Exotic’s longtime rival, Carole Baskin, has just been granted control of his properties, meaning current operator Jeff Lowe must leave, but he isn’t exactly planning to straighten things up before he heads out.

Jeff Lowe has confirmed that he won’t be taking care of things around the G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park as he prepares to vacate the area, and that may not be a good thing for Carole Baskin. According to Lowe, the park is in currently in a state of “complete hell.”

Part of the reason Jeff Lowe appears to be so anxious to leave the site is that he associates it with bad memories of working with Exotic. At this point, he and his wife, Lauren, are more focused on leaving everything behind and starting fresh in Thackerville, Oklahoma:

Jeff Lowe’s plan is to open a larger animal park in Thackerville sometime in the fall, which adds to his disinterest in Joe Exotic’s old park. Despite everything, he did wish Carole Baskin good luck in taking over but did stress that getting things up and running won’t be easy. Lowe went on to tell ET that the 16-acre park was never a good place for business, as he believes it was poorly constructed.

Although both Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic had their problems with Carole Baskin, the two also came to blows themselves over the course of the documentary. Exotic brought in Lowe as a business partner to help improve the park. But ultimately, the two came to blows when their ideologies clashed, with Exotic believing that Lowe was attempting to push him out of his business.

During this time, Jeff Lowe also offered to assist Joe Exotic with his legal problems and, as a result, Exotic ended up putting the park in his name. This would, of course, lead to Lowe and his wife to gain total ownership following Exotic’s arrest in 2018.

Tiger King featured more than enough drama on its own, so it’s crazy to think that there’s it’s not over just yet. Though Carole Baskin’s ownership and Jeff Lowe’s departure may indeed signify the end of what’s been a long (and honestly unbelievable) road. We’ll just have to wait and see how the two progress in their new ventures. And while we do that, we can still relive the original series, which is still streaming on Netflix.

Anyone who’s seen Netflix’s Tiger King knows that one of the focal points of the widely viewed docuseries was the rivalry between Joe Exotic and big-cat activist and sanctuary owner Carole Baskin. Baskin took issue with Exotic’s Oklahoma-based Zoo. This resulted in a feud that spread across the internet and, eventually, into the courtroom. Now, there’s been a major turning point in Baskin’s legal battle with Exotic’s company, one that has granted her control of his former territory.

A federal judge has granted Carole Baskin control of the zoo that belonged to Joseph Maldonado-Passage (Joe Exotic), per the Courtroom News Service. Exotic, who is currently serving a stint in prison on two counts of murder for hire, was sued by Baskin for trademark infringement before he was arrested. The judge ruled in Baskin’s favor and required Exotic to pay her roughly $1 million, though Baskin never received the full total. Now, the judge has ruled that Maldanado-Passage’s properties were “fraudulently transferred,” resulting in Baskin receiving ownership of them.

In addition to owning the 16 acres of land, Carole Baskin was also given ownership of several cabins and vehicles on the premises.

The judge has also ordered fellow Tiger King star Jeff Lowe, who is the current operator of Exotic’s G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park, to leave the property within 120 days and remove all of the animals. In a statement to CNN, Lowe’s attorney revealed that they weren’t surprised by the verdict:

Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic’s rivalry was intense from the start. Baskin used social media to speak out against Exotic and, in response, the zoo owner created brutal videos in which he used Baskin’s likeness.

Following Tiger King’s debut, Carole Baskin has quickly achieved fame and has easily become one of the most recognizable faces from the show. However, she’s also become the subject of scrutiny herself, specifically in regard to the circumstances surrounding her first husband’s death.

Nevertheless, numerous scripted TV and film adaptations of Tiger King are currently in development and several stars, including Tara Reid are being circled to play the animal rights activist.

With Joe Exotic now in prison and Carole Baskin in possession of his assets, it would appear that their infamous rivalry has finally reached its conclusion. At this point, it’s unclear as to what exactly Baskin plans to do with the land, but there’s a firm chance that we’ll find out sooner rather than later. If you’ve still yet to see the Tiger King docuseries, it’s currently available to stream on Netflix.

Tiger King brought us a lot to think about when it debuted on Netflix toward the end of March. But, for all the fun that was had during celebrity-hosted watch parties, on late night TV, and in mulling over the wild lives of this group of big cat rescuers and / or zoo-keepers, everyone who tuned in to the docuseries realizes that there are some very serious issues at play, including the disappearance of Carole Baskin's previous husband, Don Lewis. Now, it looks like Baskin could be in some big trouble, because she's being accused of forging her husband's signature on the documents that gave her control of his fortune.

While Tiger King focused mostly on Joe Exotic, it would be pretty hard to tell his story without getting into the life of Carole Baskin. As we know, Exotic was so angered by Baskin's efforts to stop his private zoo, that he eventually hired someone to kill her, and he's now in prison for that murder-for-hire plot (along with other charges). Exotic maintains that Baskin killed her husband, and even though she was never arrested or charged with any wrongdoing which would have led to his disappearance, the case was never closed.

According to Fox News, Joseph Fritz, former attorney and friend to Don Lewis, is now saying that he believes the signatures on legal documents which gave Carole Baskin control of Lewis' money in the event of something happening to him, have been forged. And, Fritz seems to believe that Baskin is the forger in question.

Because of the success of Tiger King, and renewed interest in the disappearance of Don Lewis, Tampa’s Hillsborough County Sheriff, Chad Chronister, recently called for people to submit tips if they thought they had any leads in the case. This may have encouraged Joseph Fritz to review some documents his client signed before he disappeared in 1997, and now that forensic document examiner and handwriting expert Thomas Vastrick has reviewed Lewis' power of attorney and will, he said:

Man, that does not sound good. I, for one, know that I haven't singed my name the same way twice since I was 12 and trying to write exactly like my best friend Danielle, so I completely believe a handwriting expert when he says that the signatures on these documents are too similar to be believed as the real deal. Adding to the suspicion is the fact that Don Lewis met Carole Baskin in 1980, and left his wife and children in order to marry her. Then, when he disappeared, his $10 million estate was left to Baskin, and all of his kids and other family were cut out.

But, it gets even worse. When Thomas Vastrick did his examination, he looked at the signatures of Don Lewis, multiple notaries who singed off on the documents and two witnesses. While he is clearly suspect of Lewis' signatures (which he believes were copied from his marriage license to Carole Baskin), one of the witnesses has recently come forward and told the sheriff's department that she felt pressured at the time to say that the documents were signed by each individual.

Fritz also noted that the truly important document to verify (and to forge, should one desire to gain total control of someone else's fortune in a situation such as this) was the power of attorney. Having Lewis' power of attorney allowed Baskin to move every asset in his name so that it was in her control way before he was declared legally dead, which came five years later.

It's clear that this case is still developing and probably will be for quite a while, so be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. In the meantime, you can revisit Tiger King on Netflix, and if you need something else to watch you can look into our 2020 Netflix guide and see what's coming to TV this summer.

At this point, it’s safe to say Netflix’s Tiger King has become an indisputable phenomenon. As such, TV and film producers across Hollywood are looking to capitalize on its success with scripted adaptations about the tale of Joe Exotic. A key person in Exotic’s story is Carole Baskin, the big cat conservationist with whom Exotic had a bitter feud. And it would seem that at least one Tiger King production has the perfect actress in mind to play the animal activist.

Sharknado star Tara Reid is reportedly being courted by producers to play Carole Baskin in a live-action film adaptation of Tiger King. Reid’s manager and business partner, Phillipe Ashfield, confirmed the news to People though, in a statement to the trade, he stressed that talks are still in the early stages:

According to the trade, Tara Reid is a fan of the original docuseries, as some other celebrities are, and feels that she can accurately embody the role of Carole Baskin.

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Tara Reid was known for playing teenage roles in films like American Pie, Girl and Cruel Intentions. Movies like The Big Lebowski and Josie and the Pussycats would also see her play ditzier characters. In recent years, she’s still done romance and comedy, but she’s also starred in more unconventional projects, specifically the Sharknado franchise.

Tara Reid is definitely not the first actor to be linked to one of the various Tiger King-related projects in development. SNL star Kate McKinnon has also been tapped to portray her own version of Carole Baskin in Universal Content Productions’ adaptation of Wondery’s Joe Exoctic podcast. In addition, Nicolas Cage has reportedly signed on to play Joe Exotic himself in an eight-episode series from Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.

The original Tiger King docuseries chronicled the exploits of Oklahoma-based zoo operator Joe Exotic and details his rise as an entertainer and entrepreneur and his eventual arrest on counts of animal abuse and murder for hire. The latter charge refers to his alleged attempts to have Carole Baskin killed. Baskin herself also became a somewhat controversial figure in the series and has received plenty of media attention since it premiered.

It can’t be denied that Tara Reid physically resembles Carole Baskin, and her experience with roles that are a bit “quirky” could make her just the right fit for the role. It remains to be seen if she’ll officially land the part but, if she does, one can only imagine who will be cast to play Joe Exotic opposite her Baskin.

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Following its release in March, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness became one of the most popular docuseries this year. The subjects of the documentary — which primarily followed Joe Exotic — were the center of attention for weeks after the show premiered on Netflix. Arguably just as famous now as Joe Exotic is Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue, and Exotic’s long-time rival. Baskin recently entered WTF territory after she tried (and failed) to be in Justin Bieber’s new music video.

Who knew that Carole Baskin was such a big Justin Bieber fan? The singer recently collaborated with Ariana Grande and recorded a new quarantine-themed song together, called “Stuck With U.” Naturally, they planned to release a music video to go along with it and invited their fans to submit their own videos to be included. According to TMZ, Baskin said she made the video after some of Bieber’s friends asked her to do so and she hoped it wouldn’t “attract too many of the haters.”

The video submission in question was brief and saw Carole Baskin and her husband Howard dressed up in animal print robes, dancing along to “Stuck With U” while holding onto their cat. Justin Bieber posted the seconds-long clip to Twitter, which has now garnered over 680.8k views. Unfortunately, Baskin’s dancing video did not make the final cut, but she was happy that Bieber ultimately decided to share the video online. You can watch a dancing Baskin below!

In a reply to Justin Bieber’s tweet, Ariana Grande went on record to say that she “did not allow or approve this clip to be in the actual video,” but that its existence in the world was pretty “unique.” That’s a fairly good assessment of Carole Baskin’s video, which also included her and Howard wearing lion masks atop their heads.

To me, the video’s failure to make the final cut makes absolute sense. After Tiger King, Carole Baskin was too recognizable a person and the video’s inclusion would have drawn too much attention, taking away from the song itself, as well as other fans’ video submissions. Justin Bieber releasing the clip allowed others to see it anyway, so it all worked out in the end, random as it was.

Carole Baskin was most recently tricked into giving her first post-Tiger King interview by YouTube pranksters Josh Pieters and Archie Manners. The Big Cat Rescue leader had avoided doing interviews about Tiger King and, though she found out the prank interview wasn’t actually for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Baskin had a “good laugh” about it.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is currently streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide.

Tiger King set off a media storm when it was released by Netflix in March. With many people suddenly doing way more streaming than they had been doing previously, the docuseries about Joe Exotic and the many intriguing people and wild events surrounding him and his roadside zoo became an instant hit that captivated audiences. Viewers quickly binged the series and wanted more, so many of the people seen on Tiger King gave interviews after it was released, with Joe Exotic's supposed nemesis, Carole Baskin, being critical of the show and far less willing. Two YouTube pranksters just got Baskin to do an interview, but only because she thought she was talking to Jimmy Fallon.

Those who either watched Tiger King or who've been following the aftermath of the show's release, will know that people featured in the series, such as fellow zoo owner Doc Antle, Joe Exotic's ex-husband John Finlay and even Exotic himself (from federal prison), have spoken about the things shown in the series since it debuted. Carole Baskin, the big cat-rights activist and owner of Big Cat Rescue who Exotic saw as a threat and tried to have murdered, has really only come out to talk about how disappointed she is that Tiger King didn't deal with the issue of animal cruelty the way she was promised, and has declined several interviews about the show.

But, YouTube pranksters Josh Pieters and Archie Manners, who have been able to convince some big stars in the U.K. to give interviews which turned out to not be for the outlets they thought they were being interviewed by, have now done the same with Carole Baskin. And, they went through a lot to secure and complete her interview, which, obviously, was not for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The whole process was posted to the duo's YouTube page, including the interview they were able to do with Baskin, and you can take a look at it below:

Man, Josh Pieters and Archie Manners really had a lot of work ahead of them when it came to getting Carole Baskin to agree to an interview. As was mentioned earlier, Baskin doesn't really want anything to do with discussing Tiger King, even though it has made her famous and probably brought a lot more attention to Big Cat Rescue and her other causes. Which is fair, really, considering that speculation that she killed her previous husband and fed him to some of those big cats she rescued is a significant subplot on the series.

Manners and Pieters wanted this interview with Carole Baskin so badly, that they weathered two nos, one from her directly and one from her third husband, Howard. In his email to the fake Jimmy Fallon producer, Howard, who's a lawyer, noted that they didn't want the stress of another interview and didn't think that, even if Baskin didn't talk about Tiger King directly, that the interview wouldn't have interest hijacked by the specter of the show. He even went so far as to direct them to others who could talk about big cat issues, with the knowledge that that wouldn't be a big name interview.

Luckily for Pieters and Manners, Carole Baskin later contacted them when it looked like all was lost to say she changed her mind. So, why did Baskin have such a change of heart? It turns out that her daughter, who's been helping her run Big Cat Rescue since it started in 1992, is a big fan of Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show, and she convinced her mom that doing the interview would get the kind of attention they want for their causes.

And, it turns out that there was some real synergy at work, since they couldn't find any clips of Fallon talking about Tiger King, but had plenty of general questions and cat-related interviews to work with when picking out past audio for their fake interview.

You can see that, once they get Carole Baskin on live for the interview, she's more than happy to answer the questions and deal with some technical mishaps. But, the question now is, just what does Baskin think of this elaborate prank? Well, it would seem that she's got a pretty good sense of humor about the whole thing. Here's what a statement from Big Cat Rescue about the interview to Entertainment Tonight had to say on Baskin's thoughts:

OK. Points to Carole Baskin for not being angry, and major points to Josh Pieters and Archie Manners for putting some serious time into this prank. You can relive Tiger King on Netflix right now, but for more to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 Netflix premiere guide and see what's coming to TV this summer.

One of the most memorable, and certainly meme-worthy, figures from Netflix’s hit docu-series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness was Carole Baskin, the owner and operator of Big Cat Rescue. Baskin was the supposed nemesis of Tiger King Joe Exotic himself, and the subject of her ex-husband Don Lewis has led to a lot of discussion surrounding his disappearance. When interviewed about Lewis' disappearance, Baskin evidently thought she was providing contextual background for the docu-series.

In an interview with The Tampa Bay Times, there are two different tales to be told when it comes to Carole Baskin’s participation in the Tiger King docu-series. According to Baskin, the reason she spoke as much as she did about the 1997 disappearance of Don Lewis was because it was meant to provide some backstory for her life.

From her side, the story of her ex-husband’s disappearance wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, and was prompted by the series producers. Meanwhile, Tiger King producer Eric Goode has gone on record as stating that apparently those talks were more open than Carole Baskin would like to admit. In Goode’s recollection of Baskin’s participation, the discussion of her life “wasn’t coerced” in any way.

No matter which side of the story turns out to be correct, the truth is that in a miniseries mostly focused on Joe Exotic and his wild and crazy times as an animal caretaker/bon vivant actually took an entire episode to discuss the story of Carole Baskin and her ex-husband’s disappearance. Which, in turn, sent the meme machine flying into overdrive. Tik Tok remixes, a wide-ranging public debate/discussion over whether Joe Exotic’s accusations of Don Lewis’ supposed murder were valid or not, and even a social media post with O.J. Simpson chiming in on his thoughts about the matter were all part of the immediate aftermath in the wake of the series’ debut.

Perhaps the biggest development to come from Tiger King’s aftermath is the fact that Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is now looking for new leads into Don Lewis’ disappearance, in an effort to reopen the decades old cold case. It’s not all bad news for Carol Baskin though, as she’s also the subject of a follow-up miniseries with Kate McKinnon starring in the role of Baskin herself. So it sounds like there could be more information waiting for the public in this new dramatized version of events.

Netflix has set off a flood of follow-ups, further investigations, and pop culture fodder in the wake of its release of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. It’s far from over, and as things develop, we’ll be breaking the news here at CinemaBlend. In the meantime, you can watch the entire Tiger King series, with a new aftershow episode, “The Tiger King and I”, hosted by Joel McHale, now on Netflix.

Tiger King is the Netflix sensation that has subscribers everywhere talking about Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and what exactly happened to Carole Baskin's first husband since his disappearance back in 1997. She has remarried in the years since Don Lewis went missing, and Tiger King never delivered a definitive explanation for what happened. In fact, a lot of people in and out of the docu-series are of the opinion that Baskin killed her husband and fed him to her tigers.

As it turns out, O.J. Simpson has some very public thoughts as well. He took to Twitter to explain that people have been asking him to watch Tiger King, which is likely an especially big hit for Netflix due to the coronavirus social distancing. He finally gave in and watched six of the seven episodes before sharing his opinion about Don Lewis' disappearance and Carole Baskin's alleged role:

Add O.J. Simpson to the list of Tiger King viewers who think Carole Baskin killed her husband and fed him to tigers! Netflix subscribers who have checked out the docu-series aren't the only ones putting thought into what happened to Don Lewis. Tampa's Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister hit social media to "ask for new leads" in the case, and the fact that he included #CaroleBaskin in the tweet makes it pretty clear that Lewis' wife is a prime suspect.

The sheriff has stated that he's already receiving multiple tips per day and Carole Baskin refused a polygraph, after advice from her lawyer. O.J. Simpson's instincts don't quite make for evidence that could help out Chad Chronister in cracking the case. Baskin refuted claims that she had a role in her husband's disappearance on her Big Cat Rescue website, but the speculation is unlikely to die down for as long as Tiger King remains on the top of Netflix's Top 10.

O.J. Simpson had more to say about Tiger King than just that he thinks Carole Baskin killed her first husband and fed him to tigers. Take a look at the full video that Simpson shared on social media:

Carole Baskin hasn't been quiet in the aftermath of Tiger King, and not just because of her denial of accusations that she killed her husband. She shared a message for Saturday Night Live fan-favorite Kate McKinnon, who is working on a miniseries in which she'd play Baskin. Doc Antle, who also appeared in Tiger King is a less-than-flattering light, reacted to his portrayal as well. PETA isn't happy about Tiger King either, but that's hardly a surprise.

If you haven't checked out Tiger King just yet, you can find all seven episodes of the docu-series streaming right now on Netflix. With the coronavirus pandemic bringing a lot of television production to a halt, streaming could be the place to be for TV in the not-too-distant future. For some current and upcoming viewing options, check out our 2020 Netflix premiere schedule.

Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has garnered a lot of attention since its release late last month. The docu-series may have followed the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, the former zookeeper known as Joe Exotic, but there was plenty of time dedicated to Carole Baskin, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue. It's been confirmed that Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon is set to portray Baskin in an upcoming miniseries and the animal rights activist has a message for the actress about the use of big cats.

Before Tiger King made a big splash on Netflix, the Wondery podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King, hosted by Robert Moor, closely followed the story of Exotic, his rivalry with Carole Baskin, and the big cat debacle through four years of interviews. The miniseries will be based on the podcast and not the docu-series, however, Netflix’s Tiger King has reinvigorated interest in Baskin’s story and Exotic’s public accusation, which alleges she murdered her husband and fed him to tigers. Ahead of the miniseries, Baskin issued a statement (via EW) that called upon McKinnon to avoid using real animals. Here’s what she said:

In place of real animals and to avoid big cat cruelty, Carole Baskin suggested the miniseries use of CGI animals instead of “forcing real big cats to suffer just to entertain the audience.” This statement sounds like it's in line with Baskin’s continued displeasure with all things Tiger King. She has previously said that she believed the docu-series was simply a “big cat version of Blackfish.”

Naturally, PETA representatives also urged Kate McKinnon, Universal Content Productions and Wilsher Studios president Dawn Olmstead to actively avoid using real big cats in the miniseries. Here’s what PETA reps told TheWrap:

The Saturday Night Live star signed on to portray Carole Baskin in the miniseries last November, months ahead of Netflix’s Tiger King debut. Kate McKinnon is also set to executive produce the miniseries, though no release date has been scheduled.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates. In the meantime, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is currently available to stream on Netflix. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our midseason schedule.