Jimmy Fallon Parodies Nicolas Cage as Tiger King

The coronavirus pandemic unfolding shortly after the debut of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness on Netflix resulted in the documentary series taking the world by storm, though it also means we have a much longer wait before we can see Nicolas Cage debut as Joe Exotic in the dramatized adaptation of the series, with Jimmy Fallon offering the above parody of Cage as Exotic to tide us over. The video itself is relatively exhausting, as Fallon is not merely impersonating Cage, but impersonates Cage impersonating Exotic, which makes us at least somewhat relieved that the actual adaptation won’t require Cage to convey as many personas.

In the weeks since Tiger King debuted, the internet has developed an infatuation with its cast, with some audiences loving, some audiences hating, and some audiences loving to hate Exotic, who is currently imprisoned on 19 federal charges, including animal abuse and hiring someone to murder his rival Carole Baskin. With fans knowing that a dramatized version of the events was being developed, viewers have spent months theorizing about who should play the various real-life figures from the series, with news that Cage would take on Exotic making fans excited for the upcoming adaptation.

While some audiences have thought that Exotic was wrongfully imprisoned for his actions, various people connected more directly with the figure and his time at GW Zoo have painted another picture.

“He has this uncanny ability to meet someone and read them within seconds,” former employee Gaylynn Eastwood shared with Fox News. “And kind of — if you have a weak spot, he knows exactly how to use that in his favor to get what he wants from you. I mean, it’s uncanny and it’s indescribable. You know, this man is a lunatic. He will do anything.”

While some of the participants thought the series offered an accurate depiction of the events, Eastwood was disappointed with how the show painted Exotic as an eccentric character instead of a dangerous individual.

“I was very disappointed in how it was presented to me,” Eastwood admitted. “They just loaded it with all this sensationalism. They barely touched on anything and kind of left it open to the public just to fill in the blanks.”

Stay tuned for details on the Tiger King adaptation.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Would you like to see Fallon play Exotic? Let us know in the comments below!