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Where are the cast of Netflix's Tiger King now?

What did you think of Tiger King? Warning: this article contains spoilers


tiger king slammed for inaccuracies© Photo: Netflix
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
March 31, 2020
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Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness on Netflix is the documentary that everybody is talking about. The seven-part series tells the story of Joe Exotic, also known as the Tiger King, and his extraordinary career of owning his own zoo of big cats. With exclusive interviews and clips of the man himself and those closest around him, the show has been a gripping insight into the rise and fall of the Tiger King.

As well as being an internet sensation, the show has sparked debates on the ethics of the big cat industry, and a number of the show's contributors have protested against the final documentary for its "sensationalism". If, like us, you binge-watched the entire series in one sitting and now wondering what all the cast are up to now, then fear not as we've investigated and found out...

WATCH: Trailer for Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness on Netflix

Joe Exotic

Towards the end of the series, viewers saw Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, receive a 22-year sentence for multiple charges including an alleged assassination plot against his arch-enemy and fellow big cat lover Carole Baskin. Joe is still serving his time at Oklahoma's Grady County jail but has since filed a $95 million (£77 million) federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and government agents as he accuses them for "invading his civil rights". According to a file reported by PEOPLE, he has also made claims against loss of property and false imprisonment, among others.

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

tiger king cast© Photo: Netflix

Joe Exotic remains in prison for multiple charges

Joe Exotic's first husband John Finlay

John Finlay was Joe's first husband, who towards the end of the show revealed that he is in fact straight and had been having affairs behind Joe's back. Since filming, the welder has remained with his girlfriend Stormey Sanders and the two have set up their own social media page called The Truth about John Finlay. John wrote in one post: "Yes I have my teeth fixed, [but] the producers of the Netflix series had video and pictures of this but chose not to show it." The page also includes this message: "No networks or news related articles have my permission to use my photos or my responses from this page!!"

john finlay© Photo: Netflix

John was Joe's first husband

Carole Baskin and Howard Baskin 

Since Tiger King aired, Carole, who was the animal activist trying to bring down Joe Exotic, took to the website of her organisation Big Cat Rescue, to voice her frustrations towards the show's directors. Carole claims that the show implied that she was responsible for the disappearance of her first husband, Don Lewis. 

In the statement, she wrote: "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." She continued: "There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the docuseries 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."

MORE: Fans of Netflix's Tiger King are convinced they have solved mystery of Don Lewis' disappearance

carole baskin© Photo: Netflix

Carole protested against the documentary

Her third husband Howard echoed her concerns. He took to YouTube to criticise the film's claims and named the filmmakers the "biggest con-artists of them all". The two remain happily married and, according to Howard, "in 15 years of living together, we have never had an argument." 

Bhagavan "Doc" Antle 

Like Carole, Bhagavan Antle, otherwise known as Doc, was unhappy with the way the show portrayed him. Doc Antle continues to run the Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in South Carolina. In a statement on Facebook, he wrote: "The staff at @myrtlebeachsafari 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. It is important to understand that this series is not a documentary; it's sensationalized entertainment with paid participants." 

don antle© Photo: Netflix

Doc Antle continues to run the Myrtle Beach Safari

Jeff Lowe

Jeff Lowe is Joe Exotic's former boss who still runs the Greater Wynnewood Zoo in Oklahoma with his fiancée Lauren Dropla. Together, the couple plans on opening another zoo. Jeff also took to Facebook to respond to the Netflix documentary. He wrote: "Lauren and I just finished watching the Tiger King. Overall, we think they did a good job […] A little sensationalism here and there, but for the most part it was a decent Readers Digest version, telling the story of a sick, twisted animal abuser, Joe Exotic." 

jeff lowe© Photo: Netflix

Jeff and his fiancee Lauren still run the G.W. Zoo

Rick Kirkman 

Rick was Joe Exotic's producer of his online show and featured heavily in the documentary. Rick now reportedly lives in Norway with his wife. 

rick kirkman tiger king© Photo: Netflix

Rick has reportedly moved to Norway

Dillon Passage

Joe's husband after John was Dillon Passage, who viewers saw break down over Joe's sentencing. Despite Joe being in prison, the two are still married.

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