Tiger King Star Joe Exotic's Legal Team Traveling To Washington, DC In Hopes Of Asking President Trump For A Pardon

Though the online hullabaloo surrounding Netflix's Tiger King has mostly died down, the battle [...]

By Spencer Perry

Though the online hullabaloo surrounding Netflix's Tiger King has mostly died down, the battle between its controversial star and his ongoing prison sentence remains in effect. Joe Exotic, the mystifying and bizarre person at the center of the docuseries, is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence and is eager for a presidential pardon, taking even more extreme measures to try and get noticed. TMZ reports that the head of Exotic's legal team, Eric Love, has customized a bus with a message asking President Trump to pardon Exotic, which they'll be driving around Washington D.C. sometime tomorrow. Check out a photo of the bus below.

It was previously reported that Exotic's legal team were hoping to pursue such a pardon but this strategy is among the most public facing they could attempt. Exotic, real name Joe Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22 year prison sentence. The former "zoo keeper" turned wannabe politician and now infamous Netflix character was found guilty on 17 counts of animal abuse and two counts of murder-for-hire, having attempted to pay Allen Glover to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue who had spent years trying to shut down Exotic's private zoo.

President Trump was previously made aware of Exotic and his hopes for a pardon. New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked the president about this during a coronavirus task force press briefing, as the President's son previously opined on asking his father to pardon Exotic. In response, the president previously said: "I know nothing about it...I'll take a look."

Though the documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness burned fast and bright it has mostly faded from public discourse in the weeks since its release. The seven-episode Tiger King documentary follows Exotic on his many various endeavors with private zoos in Oklahoma and his run-ins with the law and colleagues in the industry. One of Exotic's major foils is Baskin, who tried to prevent Exotic from profiting off of breeding big cats, while Exotic alleged that Baskin was similarly chasing fame and fortune with her facility. Exotic even claimed that Baskin was responsible for the disappearance and death of one of her husbands.

Even if the President elects not to pardon Exotic, the world will still have plenty of Tiger King in its future. Academy Award winner and fan-favorite Nicolas Cage will play Exotic in a new television series based on the infamous Oklahoman in a new series for CBS All Access. The series will be based on the Texas Monthly article "Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild" by Leif Reigstad with Dan Lagana serving as showrunner.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is streaming now on Netflix.

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