Note: The following story contains spoilers for the Netflix docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
If you haven’t watched Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, be prepared… you’re in for a wild ride. (Also, go binge before you read any further!) If you have watched the latest Netflix docuseries sensation you already know that there are most twists and turns in the lives and crimes of big cat lovers Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Doc Antle than one could ever have imagined.
Wondering where the cast is now? Buckle up, cats and kittens, because here we go:
Joe Exotic
Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage aka Joe Exotic aka Tiger King was found guilty in 2019 for paying a hitman $3,000 to kill his rival, Carole Baskin, an animal activist and big-cat lover who runs a sanctuary called the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida. The hit did not go through, and he is currently serving 22 years for the attempted murder plot.
He was also found guilty of killing tigers at his exotic animal park in Oklahoma.
Since the release of the docuseries, he has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $94 million in damages. The lawsuit, which was filed against the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and government agents, accuses them of violating his civil rights.
Oh ya… And Cardi B recently tweeted about starting a GoFundMe account to help him win his freedom.
Bout to start a gofundme account for Joe .He shall be free.
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) March 28, 2020
Carole Baskin
Carole Baskin continues to run Big Cat Rescue (alongside her husband Howard Baskin), but says she’s haunted by some of the past traumas the Netflix series dredged up. Baskin has posted a 3,000-word blog titled “Refuting Netflix Tiger King” on her website.
“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 (the documentary that exposed abuse at SeaWorld) 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 back yards if they survive,” the blog begins.
“There are not 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,” Baskin wrote. “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.”
Baskin has long maintained she had nothing to do with the disappearance of her former husband, Don Lewis.
Lewis’ disappearance remains unsolved.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle
Carole Baskin wasn’t the only character unhappy with their portrayal in the new Netflix series. Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who runs The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, T.I.G.E.R.S., in South Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was also pretty unhappy. Antle, who quickly became an internet senstation for his multiple wives, has since released a statement on Facebook:
“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.”
No word on how many ladies he’s currently involved with.
Jeff Lowe
Jeff Lowe and his partner Lauren are still running the Greater Wynnewood Zoo, which is the largest privately-owned animal park in the U.S. They plan to open a new zoo in Oklahoma later this year.
Oh, and thanks to that zoo’s Instagram account that we know the #HotNanny is still a part of their family.
John Finlay
Viewers meet John Finlay early in the docuseries when he joins the staff at G.W. Exotic Animal Park, moves in with Joe Exotic and the two begin a relationship, though viewers come to learn he is straight. Finlay and Exotic then enter a throuple with then 19-year-old Travis Maldonado and the three get married. Finlay went on to have a relationship with a woman who worked for Maldonado-Passage.
With his multiple tattoos and missing teeth, Finlay has been a source of fascination for the internet since the docuseries started streaming. He’s started a Facebook page titled “The Truth about John Finlay” which he runs along with his wife, Stormey Sanders.
These days he is working as a welder and has a new set of teeth, which he says didn’t make it to the docuseries.
“Yes I have my teeth fixed,” Finlay said in a posting. “The producers of the Netflix series had video and pictures of this but chose not to show it.
Joshua Dial
Joshua Dial served as Joe Exotic’s campaign manager when the Oklahoma zookeeper ran for president in 2016 and govenor in 2017. Dial, a former Walmart employee, also witnessed the death of Joe’s 23-year-old husband Travis Maldonado.
“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 fiancé; I have no desire to bring any of that pain into my life,” Dial told Oxygen.com.
He currently resides in Oklahoma, but no longer dreams of working in politics.
Kelci “Saff” Saffery
In the docuseries Kelci Saffery lost part of their arm when they stuck their hand in a tiger cage in order to close the door.
“It’s not the tiger’s fault on my end… you don’t have to put it down. It wasn’t put down. We just moved it off of the park,” Saffery explained during an appearance on Lights Out with David Spade.
Theses days Saffery prefers to be called Saff and uses him/his pronouns. The Hawaii native is reportedly still working at the zoo.
Rick Kirkham
Rod Kirkham had been producing a reality series called Joe Exotic, Tiger King and was counting on the show being his “retirement fund.” Today, he works as a freelance reporter in Norway where he lives with his wife Kristin E Rosøy Kirkham, according to his Facebook page.
