Skip to main contentSkip to footer
joe exotic 1

Sad news for Tiger King fans 

Joe's law firm had a limo waiting for him

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
January 20, 2021
Share this:

Tiger King fans had been hoping that Joe Exotic, the man subject of the Netflix documentary, would be on Donald Trump's list of pardons in one of his final acts as President. 

MORE: Tiger King: everything you need to know about Don Lewis' disappearance

In fact, Joe's lawyers were so certain of his release from his 22-year custodial sentence, that they had already hired a stretch limo to pick him up from prison when Trump's list of pardons was released, confirming that Joe was not in fact pardoned.

WATCH: Tiger King was a smash hit in 2020

He is currently serving a sentence for animal abuse and two counts for attempted murder for hire, with his rival, Carole Baskin, as the target. 

Since plenty of fans were hoping to see him released, Twitter has been rife with posts about the felon, with one writing: Everyone is panicking Trump is gonna pardon himself tomorrow while I’m over here wondering if Joe Exotic is on the list...cuz honestly I think we need a sequel to Tiger King in order to get through the rest of 2021." 

joe king

Joe was not on the list of pardons

Another added: "Can we talk about how funny it is that Joe Exotic’s team rented a limo for him to drive away in on expectations of a pardon that didn’t manifest?" A third person posted: "Trump pardons Lil Wayne, snubs Joe Exotic' is exactly the kind of headline this presidency was always going to end with huh." 

MORE: Netflix show Tiger King criticised for inaccuracies by show's star Carole Baskin

Others were quick to point out that Joe shouldn't have been pardoned, with one writing: "We actually witnessed Joe Exotic commit numerous crimes including the one he’s incarcerated for in the ‘Tiger King’ documentary. He’s right where he should be. [Expletive] that guy."  

carole baskin 1

Joe is serving a sentence for a murder for hire plot aimed at Carole Baskin

Carole Baskin opened up about Joe's potential pardon on Tuesday while on Good Morning Britain, saying: "I’m not willing to breathe any more oxygen into such an idea as pardoning someone who walked up to five healthy tigers and shot them so he could make space for tigers the circus wanted to board in their cages." 

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.