In a recent interview with the Mirror, Carole Baskin’s husband, Howard, said the couple is ready to help Tiger King Joe Exotic if he gets behind the Big Cat Public Safety Act. They would also like for him to agree not to breed any big cats. Joe Exotic is calling their bluff.
Joe Exotic, 58, is currently serving 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to kill Baskin, as well as multiple wildlife law violations.
“If Joe were to come out and say, ‘I now know what I did was wrong, and I want to help. I would like to support passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act and stop this breeding,'” Howard told the outlet. “If he were to do that, it might position him in a positive way for a pardon. And frankly, I might be willing to go and urge at least a reduction in his sentence.”
Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is ready to take the former rivals up on their offer. He told Entertainment Tonight that he’s willing to do what it takes to get out while also maintaining his innocence.
“It is time for Carole and Howard to put up or shut the hell up because I’m accepting their offer,” he said. “And I’m gonna take it one step further than that, OK? It is time to get on the phone to President Biden or whoever they need to that they’ve got in their little financial pocket and say, ‘Hey, Joe is willing to support a big cat bill to help protect cats in America from being exploited. But we need to keep our end of the deal and get Joe a pardon because this wasn’t really about murder for hire or shooting five tigers—this was about exploiting Joe to support Carole’s agenda.’ So, there’s the offer on the table, all right?”
Baskin told ET that she believes the Tiger King will say anything to get out of jail. So while she stands by the offer, she wants to see him put in some work before his sentence is reduced.
