Then in March 2022, there was a scripted retelling of the whole saga: Joe vs. Carole, a Peacock limited series starring SNL star Kate McKinnon as Baskin and Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell playing Joe Exotic.
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Is Joe Exotic still alive?
The former zoo owner, who captivated viewers with his complex mix of charm, eccentricity and malice, also hasn’t been in the best of health. “It is with a sad face that I have to tell you that the doctors called me in today to break the news that my prostate biopsy came back with an aggressive cancer,” he tweeted in November 2021, posting a picture of a handwritten letter revealing his health status. “I am still waiting on the results from other tests as well. Right now I don’t want anyone’s pity.”
www.twitter.com/joe_exotic/status/1455974006461452294
Yes, Joe was convicted over a failed murder-for-hire plot that targeted archenemy Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, a sanctuary for tigers and other big cats in Florida. He was also convicted of violating wildlife laws in the operation of his zoo, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park—also called the GW Zoo—in Oklahoma.
Did Joe Exotic get married in prison?
Never been more proud of someone.Meet my husband Jorge Flores Maldonado pic.twitter.com/0Ee6lfxBSR
— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) April 22, 2025
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A post shared by Joseph A Maldonado (@joe_exotic)
Was Joe Exotic in Tiger King 2?
Yes, Joe Exotic was in the Netflix sequel—although the new material was only via phone calls from prison. He still had a lot to say about what happened at the zoo and his alleged wrongful imprisonment.
At the end of the first season of Tiger King, Joe Exotic’s business partner turned rival, Jeff Lowe, got control of Exotic’s zoo as he went to prison. But the ownership of the zoo was in legal question, and in June 2020, the courts later awarded the zoo to Baskin. Lowe moved most of the animals to a new location in Oklahoma, and Baskin shut down the original zoo, sending the remaining animals to rescues and sanctuaries.
Related: Is Carole Baskin Still Married to Howard? And What Happened to Don Lewis?
Where is Tiger King's Carole Baskin now?
Baskin even tried suing Netflix to prevent Tiger King 2 from using previously filmed footage of her, which would have effectively halted the release of Season 2—but a judge denied the emergency request to stop the show’s immediate release. She may have further legal recourse, but it won’t prevent the footage from getting out there.
Baskin got to have her own say in the 2021 follow-up documentary series on Discovery+, Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight. The show focuses on the horrors of the exotic animal industry—which is what she thought Tiger King was going to be about when she first got involved. "They're going to be shocked at the level of abuse and exploitation that is going on behind closed gates," she told E!, "that has been hidden to the public and the media for decades."
Lowe’s troubles don’t end there, either. Two weeks after the zoo raid, Lowe and his wife, Lauren, were arrested for DUIs. The previous March, TMZ reported that Lowe suffered a stroke at an Oklahoma casino and had to be airlifted to a hospital—and that he and his wife believe the incident was caused by someone poisoning his drink.
Where is Joe Exotic’s husband Dillon Passage?
In Tiger King, viewers saw the openly gay Joe Exotic with several of his husbands, the most recent of which was the young Dillon Passage. They were married for only nine months before Exotic was arrested, and spent most of their three and a half years of marriage apart.
A few months later in July 2021, Passage announced on Instagram he was in a new relationship. “Everyone, meet John,” he wrote. “I’ve planned on keeping my relationship private for personal reasons but lately I’ve been having a hard time dealing with things happening in my life and John has been my rock and helping me get through it all. In short, this is an appreciation post for this special special man. Thank you for being you.”
A post shared by Dillon Passage ♌️ (@dillert_lclm)
Where is Tiger King zoo owner Doc Antle?
Another exotic animal collector featured in Tiger King, Doc Antle, is in legal trouble. The owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, Antle was indicted on wildlife trafficking charges in October 2020. Virginia authorities announced in June 2023 that Antle had been convicted by a jury of four felony charges. He was eventually fined $10,000, banned from owning or handling wild animals for five years, and received a two-year suspended sentence. Meanwhile, Antle faced federal charges for illegally trafficking animals and related money-laundering charges. A sentencing hearing scheduled for August 2024 was postponed indefinitely.
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A post shared by Dr. Bhagavan Antle (@docantle)
Cowie had testified at Joe Exotic’s trial that he witnessed Joe having tigers at the zoo killed. In the 2020 follow-up episode The Tiger King and I, he said, “A lot of times when we put cats down, they used me because just by my appearance or my voice, I could get a cat up the side of a cage, where we can dart it and tranquilize it so they could be put down and stuff. You know, those cats trusted me up until the end, and somehow, sometimes I swear they’re like, ‘Dude, you let me down’ kinda thing. I could see it in their face and their eyes.”
Where is Joe Exotic’s ex-husband John Finlay?
Finlay, who appeared in the first season of Tiger King mainly shirtless and toothless, was also not completely pleased with how he was portrayed in the show. “I was happy to be a part of the first one. The only issues I had were the fake wedding and the fact they made me look like a drugged-up hillbilly,” he told The US Sun in May 2021. He had been clean for years when he was interviewed for the show, he says; and although he fixed his teeth in 2019, he says the show neglected to show him with his new choppers.
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A post shared by John "Gator" Finlay (@johngatorfinlay)
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