Tiger King, no matter how good it was, was an extremely ‘eccentric’ show. Which was mostly because of its insane story. But that story was only possible because of its very ‘eccentric’ (that’s the word we’re using) characters.
Since the show aired, it is natural that a shitstorm has hit all their lives. While some of them were quite okay with it, some of them were blatantly unhappy. A few of them are just trying to get on with their lives.
1. Joe Exotic
According to Teen Vogue, these days he’s in isolation after the prison he was in had some COVID-19 positive patients.
2. Carole Baskin
When Joe Exotic gets mentioned, can Carole Baskin ever be far away? After the release of the documentary, Carole and her husband Howard have taken to their website to claim that many things Netflix depicted about them were wrong.
The blog on their website says:
When the directors of the Netflix documentary Tiger King came to us five years ago, they said they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish, that would expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for cub petting exploitation and the awful life the cats lead in roadside zoos and backyards if they survive.
It also talks about the speculation that Carole had something to do with her first husband’s disappearance.
There are no words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers… As part of that, it has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don in 1997.
3. John Finlay
Finlay, who has been relentlessly memed as the poor man’s Dave Bautista has now married a woman who also worked at the zoo.
4. Jeff Lowe
Despite everything we saw in the series, Jeff Lowe is still in charge of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, although the park has still not been opened to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he’s pretty active on social media and keeps updating the page of the zoo with regular updates.
5. Bhagavan ‘Doc’ Antle
In a now-deleted statement on Antle’s verified Instagram account, he said:
We are very disappointed that our facility was mentioned in the new Netflix series… We can only assume it is because Doc Antle has been such a high profile wildlife personality for so many decades that his association would create more buzz.
That being said, he seems to be going about his business as usual, like hanging out with the fucking Undertaker!
6. Rick Kirkham
7. Saff Saffery
Remember Saff, the one who seemed to be the voice of reason in telling the truth about all that was actually going on – also lost a hand to a tiger? Recently a Twitter thread (now deleted) started a conversation surrounding Saff’s gender identity.
Speaking to Out Magazine on the subject, he said:
I think the reason that I stay pretty neutral on it all is I’ve never been one to tell people what to be or what to say or how to handle anything. It’s a big community out there so I don’t want to pick a side either way. If people are asking me what I prefer, it’s very obvious what I prefer, and that’s “he”. But I’m not going to tell anyone what they need to or should call me. I think that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, and I’m obviously as easygoing in that department as I can get.
8. John Reinke
According to E! News, John has now moved on from animals and is involved with car racing.
9. Joshua Dial
Dial, who witnessed the suicide of Travis Maldonado, has only been trying to move past the whole mess.
Speaking to Oxygen, he said:
I have tried to move on, and I have been successful so far. I was given a new life and a second chance when I met my fiancée; I have no desire to bring any of that pain into my life.
10. Dillon Passage
Passage is still married to Joe and has been quite active on social mediaa, giving updates about Joe Exotic.
11. James Garretson
Garretson who turned on Joe as an informant for the FBI is believed to now be living in Dallas, Oklahoma and he owns Tiger Liquidation, a home goods store, along with a few bars in the area.
For those who couldn’t get enough of the show, a new episode was just released on the 12th of April. So, go enjoy!
