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true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...
miniseries '' Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness'' (titled onscreen as simply ''Tiger King'') features a large cast of characters, with the majority of them being
big cat The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus ''Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. All cats descend from the ''Felidae'' family, sharing similar musculature, c ...
enthusiasts. Netflix and viewers described the cast as eccentric.


Introduced in Season 1


Joe Exotic

Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, (né Schreibvogel; born March 5, 1963), popularly known as Joe Exotic, is an American former zookeeper, convicted felon and the former owner and operator of
Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, alternatively known as the G.W. Zoo, Tiger King Park and formerly the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park, was an animal park displaying predominantly tigers and other big cats in Wynnewood, Oklahom ...
in Oklahoma. He claimed to be the most prolific breeder of tigers in the United States. He ran as a candidate for
president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
as well as for
governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...
, but neither campaign managed to garner significant public support. Aside from his career as a zookeeper and his political runs, Exotic had several side-projects, including his country music, magic shows, a career in the police force, and a professional wrestling commentator. For over 20 years, Exotic was the owner and operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, known for its big cats. He operated an online reality television show that he streamed from his zoo. Over the years, he operated sideshows around the country, allowing people to pet tiger cubs. He also staged shows at fairs and in shopping malls. In 2019 he was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse (eight violations of the
Lacey Act The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that, as amended, now prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.United States. Lacey Act (Game). , ch. 553. App ...
and nine of the
Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...
) and two counts of murder-for-hire, for a plot to kill
Carole Baskin Carole Ann Baskin (née Stairs; formerly Murdock and Lewis; born June 6, 1961) is the CEO of Big Cat Rescue, a non-profit animal sanctuary. She has attracted the attention of local, national and international media outlets to the plight of capti ...
, the chief executive officer of
Big Cat Rescue Big Cat Rescue Corp., also known as BCR and previously known as Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc., operated an animal sanctuary in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, which rescued and housed exotic cats, and rehabilitated injured or orph ...
, an animal rescue organization for exotic cats. Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in
federal prison A federal prison is operated under the jurisdiction of a federal government as opposed to a state or provincial body. Federal prisons are used for people who violated federal law (U.S., Mexico), people considered dangerous (Brazil), or those sen ...
, though his sentence was later reduced to 17 years in July 2021. Exotic is the main focus of ''Tiger King'', with the documentary discussing his zookeeping career, political runs and feud with Baskin. As a result of the documentary, Exotic received significant amounts of attention on social media, inspiring several internet memes and gaining a fanbase. In prison, Exotic has been writing an autobiography.


Carole Baskin

Carole Baskin (née Stairs; born June 6, 1961) is an American animal rights activist and owner of
Big Cat Rescue Big Cat Rescue Corp., also known as BCR and previously known as Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc., operated an animal sanctuary in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, which rescued and housed exotic cats, and rehabilitated injured or orph ...
, a non-profit animal sanctuary based near
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. Baskin drew public attention for her role in ''Tiger King''. The Netflix series follows both Baskin and Joe Exotic, filming their ongoing and escalating feuds over exotic animals in private zoos. She and Don Lewis founded Wildlife on Easy Street, an
animal sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...
near Tampa for
big cat The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus ''Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. All cats descend from the ''Felidae'' family, sharing similar musculature, c ...
s, in 1992. She is the current chief executive officer of the sanctuary, which she renamed to Big Cat Rescue sometime after Lewis's disappearance in 1997. She has used social media such as
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and her "The Cat Chat"
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
to promote activism against private zoos. Exotic engaged in a pattern of harassment against Baskin, including trademark infringement. In 2013, a court ordered him to pay Baskin $1 million in
damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...
, leading to his
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
. In 2020, he was convicted of attempting to hire a hitman to kill her.


Howard Baskin

Howard Gene Baskin is an American animal rights activist and the third husband of Carole Baskin. He and Carole met in November 2002 at a kick-off party for the newly formed No More Homeless Pets organization. He joined Big Cat Rescue soon after as chairman of the advisory board. He proposed to her in November 2003, and they married in November 2004.


Doc Antle

Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle (born March 16, 1960), better known as Doc Antle, is an American
animal trainer Animal training is the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for purposes such as companionship, detection, protection, and entertainment. The type of training an animal receives will vary ...
and
private zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
operator. He is the founder and director of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
and Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility. He is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of a Rare Species Fund, although the extent to which this funds conservation projects has been disputed. Antle was fined by the
USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in
Buckingham, Virginia Buckingham is a census-designated place (CDP; listed as Buckingham Courthouse) in and the county seat of Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 133.South Carolina Law Enforcement Division The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency in South Carolina. SLED provides manpower and technical assistance to other law enforcement agencies and conducts investigations on behalf of ...
,
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a South Carolina state agency charged with regulating hunting, fishing, boating, duck stamp orders, and the conservation efforts of the state government. It is directed by seven-mem ...
and
Horry County Police Department Horry County Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency in Horry County, South Carolina. Originally established by legislative decree the department became the primary county law enforcement agency in 1959. Re-endorsed by the citiz ...
raided Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari. Antle said the agencies came to collect DNA samples from three young lions that descended from Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Virginia which was closed down due to animal welfare issues. In ''Tiger King'', Antle's facility was described as a personality cult, and Exotic accused him of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding. Antle has faced criticism from
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...
organizations and
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
groups for his treatment of animals, and was indicted on 15 charges related to wildlife trafficking and
animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...
in 2020.


Rick Kirkham

Rick Kirkham is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a reporter for ''
Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American tabloid television program that is distributed in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine progr ...
'' who appeared on a segment called "Inside Adventure". From the age of 14, he filmed more than 3,000 hours of a video diary; this included footage during his tenure on ''Inside Edition'' during which he was addicted to
crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...
. As an interviewee in ''Tiger King'', Kirkham did not receive royalties from the show, but allowed Goode and Chaiklin to use footage of Exotic he owned for a few thousand dollars. Kirkham is featured prominently throughout the documentary, remarking that he's "never experienced anything like Joe Exotic" and denying involvement in the 2015 G.W. Zoo fire. He also claimed that Travis Maldonado wasn't gay.


Jeff Lowe

Jeff Lowe is an American
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
playboy and former zookeeper. He and his wife Lauren gained ownership of the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park for legal reasons. Following Exotic's retirement from the zoo in 2018 Lowe remained as the zoo's owner, renaming it "Tiger King Park", until mid-2020 when a court awarded ownership of the property to the Baskins, and Lowe's USDA exhibitor's license was suspended due to poor veterinary care. Rather than contesting the suspension, Lowe permanently shut down the park on August 18.


Lauren Lowe

Lauren Lowe is an American former zookeeper who is Jeff's wife. She and her husband gained ownership of the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park for legal reasons. In mid-2020, Lowe and the other zookeepers had to leave the property when a court awarded ownership of it to the Baskins.


John Reinke

John Reinke is an American former employee of the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park, working closely with Joe Exotic. Before his career as a zookeeper, Reinke worked as a bungee jumper. He lost his legs in an accident in April 1994, and worked at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park starting in 2006.


Kelci "Saff" Saffery

Kelci "Saff" Saffery, better known as Saff, is an American veteran who served in both the
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
and Iraq wars and worked as a manager for the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park for almost ten years. In 2013, the then-27 year old was bitten by one of the tigers after he mistakenly put his arm into its cage. He opted to have his left
forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anatomy, techn ...
amputated Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is ...
and return to work within a week, instead of undergoing a two-year series of surgeries that might have saved his arm. He is hoping to get a
prosthetic In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...
arm. In 2018, Saffery disconnected from the G.W. zoo and everyone involved.


John Finlay

John "Gator" Finlay is a former employee at the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park, and was one of Exotic's partners. Finlay and Exotic were in a relationship for several years, but they never legally married. He became famous after ''Tiger King'' because of his missing teeth, which many viewers speculated was due to constant drug use. However, Finlay revealed that he has been sober and clean for over six years. Finlay eventually received new teeth implants in July 2019.


Travis Maldonado

Travis Maldonado was an American employee at the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park and the second husband of Exotic. Maldonado arrived at the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park in late 2013. In ''Tiger King'', Maldonado was shown getting upset over Exotic not meeting him somewhere, claiming beforehand that Exotic doesn't care about his problems or what he does at the zoo. Before meeting Exotic over punching the meat truck, Maldonado jokingly asked if he's "trying to make him blow his top." Under the influence of drugs, Maldonado would frequently point guns at other people at the park, including Exotic's campaign manager Joshua Dial, who told Maldonado to stop. Maldonado tried to convince Dial that the gun was a Ruger with no magazine in it, and that Rugers do not fire without a magazine. On October 6, 2017, Maldonado put the gun to his own head in front of Dial to prove his point, but the gun fired, despite not having a magazine in it, killing Maldonado when he pulled the trigger and traumatising Dial. Exotic told ''TM'' that his "entire soul died" afterwards, and told the press that Maldonado's death was an accident, thinking his gun would not go off without the magazine in it.


Dillon Passage

Dillon Passage is Exotic's third husband. Passage and Exotic married on December 11, 2017, two months after the death of Exotic's previous husband, Travis Maldonado. One of the witnesses of the wedding between Passage and Exotic was Maldonado's mother. In March 2021, Passage revealed on Instagram that he and Exotic are seeking a divorce, but remain on good terms and that he will continue to have Exotic in his life. The day after Passage announced that he and Exotic were divorcing, Exotic's lawyer Francisco Hernandez told ''
Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...
'' that they planned to "stay married right now so things don't get complicated". In July 2021, Passage announced his relationship with another man; John. The divorce was finalized in March 2023.


Joshua Dial

Joshua Dial is an American who worked as Exotic's campaign manager during both his run for President of the United States and his run for Governor of Oklahoma. Before meeting Exotic, Dial was a Walmart manager who had recently graduated from the University of Science and Arts with a degree in political science. He was arrested in 2017 for aggravated assault and battery, after attacking another man with a sword. He became Exotic's campaign manager to gain experience for a potential future career in politics. For his run for Governor of Oklahoma, Exotic appointed Dial to run the entire campaign. On October 6, 2017, Dial witnessed the death of Travis Maldonado. ''Tiger King'' includes the CCTV footage of Dial sitting in an office talking to Maldonado and then looked severely distressed after witnessing Maldonado's accidental death. In ''Tiger King'', Dial explained the situation to the viewers; Dial resigned from Exotic's campaign in June 2018, and posted this statement to Facebook on the first anniversary of his decision to step down as Exotic's campaign manager; After the success of ''Tiger King,'' Dial revealed that he has moved on from everything that happened at the G.W. Zoo, but still lives in Oklahoma and is engaged to be married. He retains his interest in politics, and has campaigned for gay rights.


James Garretson

James Garretson is an American former employee at the Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park, who worked with Exotic for 20 years. He ultimately became a key figure in making the case against Exotic, becoming an FBI informant to assist in his conviction. Garretson had a private collection of big cats but decided to focus on strip joints and bars, followed by a water recreation and jet ski rental business. In one episode of ''Tiger King,'' he is shown riding a jet ski as the song "Eye of the Tiger" plays in the background. He also referred to big cat people as "backstabbing pieces of shit". After the release of the first season of ''Tiger King'', Garretson received death threats and hate mail for his role in Exotic's conviction.


Erik Cowie

Erik Cowie was an American employee at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. He was the head keeper at the zoo for five years. During Exotic's trial, Cowie alleged older tigers were shot and killed at the zoo. In June 2021, Cowie was arrested and booked for
driving under the influence of alcohol Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...
, and failed to appear for his sentencing. Three months later, Cowie was found dead in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, at the age of 53. Subsequent examinations ruled that his death was due to "acute and chronic alcohol use". The second season of ''Tiger King'' was dedicated in his memory.


Mario Tabraue

Mario Tabraue is a Cuban American zookeeper and former drug trafficker, who claimed to be the inspiration for
Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...
's
Tony Montana Antonio "Tony" Montana is a fictional character and the villain protagonist of the 1983 film '' Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The Worl ...
in the 1983 crime drama film ''
Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * Scarface, nickname for Al Capone (1899–1947), an American gangster and a businessman. * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power ** ''Scarface'' (1932 ...
.'' Tabraue was imprisoned for more than a decade on charges of racketeering and drug trafficking. During his trial, it was claimed that he attempted to dismember a federal informant's body with a machete.


Tim Stark

Tim Stark is an American former zoo owner, operating Wildlife in Need in Charlestown, Indiana. He owned a variety of exotic species and was a trading partner of Exotic, and has been accused of animal abuse on several occasions. In 2021, Stark was banned from acquiring, exhibiting and owning any exotic and native animals. Following the court meeting, Stark threatened suicide.


Don Lewis

Jack Donald Lewis (April 30, 1938 – August 19, 2002) is an American former zoo owner and
missing person A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as Life, alive or Death, dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accide ...
who disappeared on the morning of August 18, 1997, after leaving his home in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. The investigation into his disappearance has stretched from Lewis's Wildlife on Easy Street sanctuary in Tampa, co-owned with his second wife Carole Baskin, to land owned by Lewis in
Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. No evidence of Lewis being killed has surfaced, but investigators believe it is unlikely that he disappeared on his own. Lewis left behind over $5 million in assets. He was declared legally dead in 2002 on the fifth anniversary of his disappearance. , the criminal case is still open with no arrests or charges made. Lewis's daughters have recently hired attorney
John Michael Phillips John Michael Phillips (born February 4, 1975) is an American lawyer, consumer and civil rights advocate, and legal commentator. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, New York, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Washington, DC. P ...
and filed a lawsuit against Baskin, seeking information about his death and fraud to documents. Lewis's disappearance was covered in the third episode of ''Tiger King.'' Lewis and Baskin met on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. She and Lewis engaged in an affair while both were still married. She became one of Lewis's many girlfriends and substantially grew his wealth by helping him buy and sell real estate in 1984. The pair
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
d their respective spouses and subsequently married in 1991. According to Baskin, Lewis was obsessed with sex and would frequently fly to Costa Rica, where he had substantial real estate holdings, to have affairstiming the trips for whenever she was
menstruating The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs ...
. In July 1997, Lewis filed a
restraining order A restraining order or protective order is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and perso ...
against her, claiming that she had threatened to kill him; the restraining order was rejected. Baskin claims that he filed the restraining order because she would haul off some of his "junk" property whenever he visited Costa Rica. Lewis continued to live with Baskin afterwards. Lewis told her multiple times that he wanted a divorce, but she did not think he was ever serious about it. She claimed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder months before he vanished. Lewis
disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a state followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the intent of placing ...
in August 1997 and was declared
legally dead ''Legally Dead'' is a 1923 American drama film directed by William Parke and written by Harvey Gates. The film stars Milton Sills, Margaret Campbell, Claire Adams, Eddie Sturgis, Faye O'Neill, and Charles A. Stevenson. The film was released o ...
in 2002. A dispute ensued between Baskin and the children of Lewis over his estate, with Baskin prevailing as the primary beneficiary. The case of Lewis' disappearance is still active as of early 2021.


Barbara Fisher

Barbara Fisher is an American former employee of Doc Antle's T.I.G.E.R.S. facility. In ''Tiger King'', she claimed that he and Antle's other apprentices (mostly young women) had to live in squalor, get pitiful money, and many felt compelled to sleep with Antle in order to advance in his programme. According to Fisher, she was pressured to get
breast implant A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenita ...
s because the park desired "sexy" ladies to be featured. Antle heavily criticised Fisher's accusations against him and his facitility, calling Fisher's claims "the ramblings of a crazy child who has a lot of, in my opinion, issues and somehow those have boiled up." In response, Fisher said "Calling people who criticize or (even disagree with him) 'crazy' is a boilerplate response from Bhagavan. When any of my friends asked what I thought his response might be before the release of the documentary, I said 'he will call me crazy and try to minimize my involvement.' That is exactly what he has done."


Rachel Starr

Rachel Starr is an adult film star from Dallas, Texas. Starr quickly grew to fame by working with various production companies such as Bangbros, Brazzers, and Naughty America to name a few. Although brief, Starr's appearance in the ''Tiger King'' series grabbed the attention of fans. Joe Exotic and Rachel Starr's friendship goes back about a decade. Exotic and Starr's friendship began in 2013 when a mutual colleague of theirs asked Starr to do a photoshoot with Exotic in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Starr and Exotic worked together in 2021 when Exotic released his first collection of NFTs from prison.


Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player who is a
sports analyst A sports analyst is a person looking through technical, tactical, physiological, and psychological performance metrics working with the sports coach and sports science team to improve athlete performance. They will often use Video motion analysis ...
on the television program ''
Inside the NBA ''Inside the NBA'', branded for sponsorship purposes as ''Inside the NBA presented by Kia'', is the halftime and postgame studio show that aired for ''NBA on TNT'' broadcasts from 1989 to 2025. The show has been hosted since 1990 by Ernie John ...
''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. He was a and center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA) and is a four-time
NBA champion The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Easter ...
. In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four
rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...
albums, with his first, '' Shaq Diesel'', going
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
. O'Neal is also an electronic music producer, and touring DJ, known as DIESEL. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
s, ''
Shaq's Big Challenge ''Shaq's Big Challenge'' is a reality television television show hosted by Shaquille O'Neal that debuted on ABC with its first episode on June 26, 2007, and concluded its first season on July 31, 2007. It featured Shaq's efforts to help six severe ...
'' and ''
Shaq Vs. ''Shaq Vs.'' is an American reality television series produced for ABC by Dick Clark Productions and Media Rights Capital starring American basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. It began airing on August 18, 2009. Shaquille O'Neal claims to be "the g ...
''. He hosts ''The Big Podcast with Shaq''. He became a minority owner of the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
in 2013 and is the general manager of Kings Guard Gaming of the
NBA 2K League The ''NBA 2K'' League (NBA 2KL or simply 2K League) is an esports league joint venture between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Take-Two Interactive. The league was announced in 2017 with its inaugural season taking place ...
. O'Neal visited the
Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, alternatively known as the G.W. Zoo, Tiger King Park and formerly the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park, was an animal park displaying predominantly tigers and other big cats in Wynnewood, Oklahom ...
on several occasions. During these visits, he took pictures of the animals at the facility and met Exotic. One of these visits is featured briefly in the first episode of ''Tiger King'', causing viewers to speculate that O'Neal was one of Exotic's friends and trading partners. On his podcast ''The Big Podcast with Shaq'', O'Neal denied having any personal dealings with Exotic;


Introduced in Season 2


Brian Rhyne

Brian Rhyne was an American citizen and the first husband of Joe Exotic. They were together for 16 years, beginning in 1985 and ending in 2001 when Rhyne died from HIV complications.


Donald Trump

Donald Trump is an American businessman and television personality who served as the 45th
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
from 2017 to 2021. He was reelected to a non-consecutive second term in November 2024. During a COVID-19 press conference in April 2020, ''Tiger King'' and the possibility of Exotic receiving a pardon was a topic of conversation. Trump claimed that he would "take a look", but ultimately did not pardon Exotic throughout the remainder of his presidency.


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{{Authority control 20th-century American people 21st-century American people Zookeepers People from Wynnewood, Oklahoma People from Tampa, Florida Year of birth missing (living people) Animal cruelty incidents Tiger King