Tiger King: Joe Exotic's Presidential Campaign Manager Says Docuseries Is "Fair and Balanced"

Tiger King debuted a new episode on Netflix today and Joe Exotic's presidential campaign manager said that the docs-series is "fair and balanced." Josh Dial actually lived at the zoo for a period and has been around the now-cult figure since the early days of the production. He was interviewed by Joel McHale on Tiger King and I along with other characters from the series. When it comes to the depiction of Exotic, he's shooting from the hip when it comes to his former employer. Things were not always great and Dial thinks that is important to keep in mind while watching.

"When the folks first started filming Joe, I was already working for Joe," he began. "So, I've known the producer and directors since day one. The way they did this documentary, it's fair, it's balanced and I just think it's a wonderful production." Dial would say that he didn't share Jeff Lowe's reservations when it came to the composition of the show. The campaign manager said, "Well, the truth hurts. The truth hurts."

In another recent interview with THR, the creators of the doc, Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaikin, said that it was important to see that Joe was kind of terrible.

"I would say it's very important for people to know this that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of empathy for [Joe's current husband] Dillon. We had empathy for Joe, but Joe did a lot of horrible things," Goode added. "Joe committed some really serious crimes and Joe was not only cruel and inhumane to his animals, he was cruel to the people around him. I think it's very important for people to understand that Joe is an actor and he tells people what they want to hear. As much as we have some empathy for Joe and found Joe to be such an incredible character — this mullet-wearing country singer in Oklahoma — he did a lot of horrible things."

Tiger King's official synopsis reads as:

"Among the eccentrics and cult personalities in the stranger-than-fiction world of big cat owners, few stand out more than Joe Exotic, a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist and country western singer who presides over an Oklahoma roadside zoo. Charismatic but misguided, Joe and an unbelievable cast of characters including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders all share a passion for big cats, and the status and attention their dangerous menageries garner. But things take a dark turn when Carole Baskin, an animal activist and owner of a big cat sanctuary, threatens to put them out of business, stoking a rivalry that eventually leads to Joe's arrest for a murder-for-hire plot, and reveals a twisted tale where the only thing more dangerous than a big cat is its owner."

The Tiger King and I (and Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness) are now streaming on Netflix.