Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Tiger King' Star Joe Exotic Claims New Health Issues In Plea For Biden To Issue Him A Pardon

'Tiger King' Star Joe Exotic Claims New Health Issues In Plea For Biden To Issue Him A Pardon
Netflix, T.J. Kirkpatrick-Pool/Getty Images

"Joe Exotic" from the popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King, made a desperate plea for a pardon from President Joe Biden after the Trump Administration failed him.

He was so certain Trump would grant him a pardon his lawyers had a limo waiting and a party planned.


Joe, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, claimed in a lengthy Twitter thread his PSA count results came back high for prostate cancer.

He stated signing the pardon "that Trump left behind" would enable him to get proper care.

The former zoo operator and tiger breeder was sentenced to 22 years in prison after hiring a hitman to murder Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin—a very open critic of his—and for violating federal wildlife laws.

On Friday, Exotic shared his precancer diagnosis from medical records obtained by his lawyer.

"John Phillips has received my medical records from FMC Fort Worth and my PSA count came back very high for prostate cancer."
"The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in. My body is tired, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat."

He continued:

"I don't want anyone's pity, what I need is when John Phillips gets the evidence he is working on, I need the world to help him get President Biden, VP Harris and the Attorney General to listen to the evidence and see that it's not just city cops out of control with corruption, but his very own Department of Justice and make this right and sign that pardon that Trump left behind so I can go home and get proper medical care and proper food."


On Saturday, Exotic said he had appointments scheduled to meet with an oncologist and a urologist, in addition to having a colonoscopy and endoscopy.

Taking to Twitter, Exotic claimed his previous request for clemency from Trump was denied because he was "too innocent and too GAY."

He added:

"I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post."
"Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first."

Several people close to Exotic apprised sympathetic fans of the popular Netflix show of Exotic's unfavorable behavior not seen in the series.

Rick Kirkham, who was working on his own documentary featuring Exotic until the footage was mysteriously destroyed in a fire, said the famed zookeeper was "pure evil."

Kirkham told The Daily Beast:

"He enjoyed seeing people and animals hurt. He enjoyed it. He got off on it."

Social media users had plenty to say about Exotic's update from prison.

Some showed compassion...


...while some were less than sympathetic.



Baskin publicly slammed Exotic for the treatment of his animals and won a million-dollar civil judgment against him in 2011.

In response to her winning the civil suit, Baskin received numerous threats from Exotic on various social media platforms starting in 2012.

Five years later, he organized a murder-for-hire plot against Baskin that failed and he subsequently offered to pay someone else $10,000 to kill his outspoken critic.

This time, however, the person he contacted was an undercover FBI agent.

When Baskin discovered Trump rejected Exotic's plea for clemency, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm taking a deep breath because I feel such a sense of relief. From the very time that he was sentenced, I have worried about there being a presidential pardon that could undo all of the hard work that went into bringing this person to justice," she told Fox News.

She added at the time of Biden's inauguration:

"When today at noon a new President was sworn in, I felt like I was finally safe from that threat."

More from People

screenshots of videos of RFK Jr. working out
@elxavipapi; @deniscepalacios/TikTok

RFK Jr. Got Roasted By Both People On Either Side Of Him After He Did A StairMaster Workout In Austin

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently visited Austin, Texas. The trip at the end of February was part of his "Take Back Your Health" tour.

During the trip, RFK Jr. spoke at a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) "Eat Real Food" rally at the Brazos Center. He also visited Cunningham Elementary School to discuss the nutrition of their school food program, and ate at Terry Black's BBQ to promote his red meat-heavy dietary recommendations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tony Gonzales
Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Trying To Play The Victim After Admitting To Affair With Staffer Who Died By Suicide

Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, a married father of six, admitted to having an affair with a staffer who later died by setting herself on fire, claiming in remarks to TMZ that he had "asked God to forgive me, which he has."

The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday that it will open an investigation into Gonzales following findings from the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), a nonpartisan watchdog that concluded there is “substantial reason to believe” he engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate.

Keep ReadingShow less
President Donald Trump; Pokemon Pokopia
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images/Pokemon Pokopia/Nintendo

Trump's White House Just Tried To Use A Pokémon Meme To Promote 'MAGA'—And The Internet Pounced

The White House is facing criticism after its social media team attempted to capitalize on a new meme from the game Pokémon Pokopia to promote President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, prompting almost immediate backlash from fans.

Pokemon Pokotopia was released on Thursday to stellar reviews, and it appears to already be a massive hit with fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jared Moskowitz; Screenshots of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem from "Apprentice" edit
Heather Diehl/Getty Images; @JaredEMoskowitz/X

Dem Rep. Shares Perfectly Edited Clip From 'The Apprentice' After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz joined his fellow Democrats in mocking Kristi Noem after President Donald Trump announced he will replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary with Oklahoma Republican Representative Markwayne Mullin—by posting a perfectly edited clip from The Apprentice.

Trump said Noem will instead take on the role of Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a newly-created organization intended to foster a right-wing alliance across South America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jenna Bush Hager (left) became emotional while discussing Savannah Guthrie's (right) returning to visit the Today show set.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Jenna Bush Hager Fights Back Tears After Savannah Guthrie Visits 'Today' Show Set For First Time Since Mom's Kidnapping

It was an emotional reunion on the set of Today when Savannah Guthrie visited Studio 1A more than a month after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared under circumstances authorities believe may involve kidnapping.

The 54-year-old anchor stopped by NBC’s New York studios Thursday to spend time with colleagues, including Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones. During the fourth hour of the show, Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, Bush Hager grew visibly emotional while describing the moment Guthrie returned to the set.

Keep ReadingShow less