Netflix’s Tiger King dives into the very strange life of Joe Exotic, but even this jam-packed documentary leaves out a lot of details. Since debuting on the streaming service, Netflix’s latest true crime documentary series, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, has become a major hit. At the center of Tiger King is Joseph Schreibvogel-Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic. The utterly surreal and weirdly charismatic protagonist of sorts claimed to be the most prolific breeder of tigers in the United States. As well as owning the ragtag Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, he briefly ran for President of the United States and Governor of Oklahoma.
Netflix’s Tiger King documents his time as the head of the G.W. Zoo and his ongoing war with Carole Baskin, the head of the Big Cat Rescue charity in Florida, which culminated in him being sentenced to 22 years in prison for trying to hire someone to murder her on the grounds of her home. It’s not hard to see why Joe Exotic has proven such a compelling figure, from his bleach blond mullet and tattoos to his multiple husbands (all of whom claimed to be straight) to his country music career and YouTube channel. In many senses, he is the perfect protagonist for this kind of documentary, and Netflix has had a ball turning him into a meme on their social media accounts.
While Tiger King is an extensive piece of work, with seven episodes dedicated to this labyrinthine tale and its myriad strange characters, it still leaves out a lot of details, particularly relating to Joe himself. There have been a number of other reports and documentaries that have dug into the life and past of Joe Exotic, most notably Louis Theroux’s America’s Most Dangerous Pets and the Wondery limited podcast series Joe Exotic. Indeed, he is just too strange a character to be contained in one show. Here are a few details that Tiger King missed.
Joe Exotic Used to Be a Policeman
Before entering the world of live animals, Joe Exotic became a police officer straight out of high school in 1982. At age nineteen, he was promoted to chief of police in the small town of Eastvale, Texas. It was during this period that Joe reportedly became depressed and suicidal over coming to terms with his sexuality. According to Texas Monthly, “Joe hadn’t yet told his parents that he was gay when one of his siblings outed him to his father, who made Joe shake his hand and promise not to attend his funeral.” This led Joe to attempting suicide, which left him seriously injured and required months of physical therapy.
Joe Had Two Other Husbands
Joe’s peculiar polyamorous love life with two much younger straight men makes up a solid chunk of Tiger King. Before that, he had two serious partners the show does not mention: His first husband, Brian Rhyne, died of complications from AIDS, while the second one, J. C. Hartpence, threatened Joe with a gun and is now serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
Joe Exotic Claimed to Have Cancer
Joe Exotic alludes to many health issues during Tiger King, and is often seen with a cane. He previously said that he had prostate cancer, for which he received surgery that went septic and led his kidneys to shut down. Claims swirled that he had Tuberculosis and Brucellosis, which he vehemently denied. Robert Moor, the man behind the Joe Exotic podcast, wrote a Twitter thread detailing some of the details left out of the series, including the issue of Joe’s health. He wrote, “For a long time, Joe told everyone he was dying from prostate & bone marrow cancer. He raised $$$ from his Facebook fans for his expenses. He showed me this horrifying photo as proof. I later learned he just had an infected prostate, dehydration, & a bad outbreak of herpes.”
Joe’s Zoo Faced Major Criticisms and Legal Issues
The troubles of the G.W. Zoo are noted in Tiger King but many key issues are omitted. Texas Monthly‘s investigation notes how a lion cub had been born at the zoo with major health issues that were most likely the result in serious inbreeding. In 2006, the U. S. Department of Agriculture suspended Joe’s license for two weeks and issued a $25,000 fine for a series of major violations. He was charged with failure to provide proper veterinary care for his animals as well as a failure to properly clean them. Later that year, PETA published a video alleging that Joe’s zoo was home to major mistreatment of animals by the staff. One video included a moment where an employee hit a tiger with the butt of a rifle. Local and federal investigators arrived at the zoo to investigate these allegations but no charges were ever filed.
Tiger King is now available to watch on Netflix.
