It’s official: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is the Netflix gift that keeps on giving. While the world circulates laughable memes to lighten the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic quarantine, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic) conjured a new admirer in his bid for an early release from prison. In a political twist, Donald Trump Jr. revealed he’s a fan. Here’s what he said, and yes — it’s about to get wild.
‘Joe Exotic’ is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison
Currently, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison. He allegedly paid a hitman to murder animal rights activist and longtime rival, Carole Baskin. The alleged murder-for-hire plot was not carried out.
Baskin operates Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida with her third husband, Howard Baskin. She’s been outspoken about Maldonado-Passage’s practices at his former zoo — which has been renamed by fellow Tiger King star and new owners, Jeff and Lauren Lowe.
Some additional charges Maldonado-Passage was charged with include animal abuse violations. However, in his first interview since Tiger King‘s release, he told Netflix, he’s “ashamed” of his past behavior and over the drama regarding Baskin.
Recently, Maldonado-Passage filed a lawsuit of his own, seeking $94 million in damages from government officials and business partners. However, Deadline reported two different judges tossed the legal actions. Along with that, “Exotic Joe” made a public plea for President Trump to pardon his sentence. Then, Donald Trump Jr. weighed in.
Here’s exactly what Donald Trump Jr. said about that pardon
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Jim Norton and Sam Roberts radio show, Trump Jr. revealed he watched the docuseries in “two sittings.”
“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. Roberts mentioned the pardon, asking if Trump Jr. had heard of it.
“I have heard that, is that true? You guys really want it to be true, don’t you?”
Roberts interjected with his thoughts on how Trump Jr. could get his father to execute the pardon.
“I feel you, Don, Jr., can go in, make a meeting with your dad and go, ‘Look, I know we’re all dealing with corona and there’s a lot going on right now, but at the same time, maybe a presidential pardon for poor Joe Exotic who’s in there?‘”
Trump Jr. added, “Maybe not right now, but I can generally be for this just for the meme. And just for frankly watching the media reaction to this thing. It would be pretty amazing to ultimately see that.”
Trump Jr. admitted he didn’t know what ‘Joe Exotic’ was in prison for
Even those who’ve watched Tiger King may not understand exactly what Maldonado-Passage was charged with, or why his stay is so long.
“I watched the show, but it was like, I don’t know exactly what he was guilty of or wasn’t. It doesn’t seem like he was totally innocent of anything. But when they’re saying, ‘We’re putting this guy away for 30 years,’ I’m saying that seems sort of aggressive,” Trump Jr. said.
Trump Jr. explained how COVID-19 is causing early releases for some criminals, wondering if Maldonado-Passage should be one of them. It’s unclear how much of the conversation was facetious, and how much truth there might be to a potential pardon for “Joe Exotic.”
That said, President Trump caught wind of his son’s comments and said he’d “take a look” in regards to a pardon, according to Business Insider. It’s unclear if it’ll go anywhere at this time.
Regardless, some fans aren’t too keen on the way Tiger King exploited exotic animals in the name of entertainment. Some think Baskin is right in calling the docuseries “sensationalism,” while others take the series for what it is: seven hours to pass the time in quarantine.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is available to stream on Netflix.
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