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Have you seen the Joe Exotic “Tiger King” documentary on Netflix yet? If not, you’re definitely missing out, and should consider watching it after reading through these 10 reasons why that would be a good idea. Don’t knock it until you try it! I’ll admit that I was skeptical and didn’t bother watching it until I finally gave in a month ago and I am so glad I did.
Initially, didn’t really feel a need to watch it because when I viewed the preview footage, I thought to myself, “Wow, that looks kind of dumb”, and switched back to watching reruns of my favorite shows (The Office, Wentworth, and Golden Girls (On Hulu). Then, due to the perfect concoction of curiosity/peer pressure, I watched the first couple of episodes of the Tiger King Documentary with a friend. That is when it hit me: BUH-BANG! – I was hooked and finished every episode in one sitting.
So, what were my thoughts right after I finished the entire documentary? Oh, just 2 words came to mind immediately, and I will let this awesome GIF of Joe tell you what those 2 words were:
Since we are all still stuck at home due to COVID-19, this is the perfect time to grab a bag of Cheetos/Frosted Flakes (Do you like how I used “big cat themed” food products? HA!) and go to town on this epic documentary!
With that being said, If you still need (or low key WANT) some major reasons to start binge watching “Tiger King“, I am about to give you 10 good ones, Then, and only then, will you be able to finally feel included in society, by engaging in the Tiger King conversations and understand all the hilarious humor and references that are booming on the internet right now because of it.
1. Everything About Joe Exotic is Interesting as Hell
Yep – the first major reason you need to start watching the Joe Exotic “Tiger King” documentary is the main star himself. His real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who is also known for his flamboyant personality, outrageous hair, and according to Joe himself, he is a ‘gay, gun-toting cowboy with a mullet’ – which, I have to admit – is pretty accurate.
2. The Unpredictability Factor is 🔥
While you’re watching through the episodes, you’ll think to yourself after each one, “How could this show possibly get any more bizarre?”. But trust me, each episode has it’s own unique, wild & crazy segments that will have you saying “W-T-F” a record number of times. 🤣
I must say, if a TV show is predictable, uneventful, or slow-moving, I quickly lose interest. More specifically, I’m rather picky when it comes to reality shows & documentaries because sometimes it is difficult to tell which parts are fake/scripted and what is genuine.
It may be cliche to say, but it has to be said with overwhelmingly reassuring affirmation:
Seriously though, you definitely cannot make this stuff up! The characters in this documentary all have such unique characteristics and personalities, and when they all come together – more magic happens. Why else would a Netflix documentary have over 34 million viewers in just 10 days!?
3. Legendary Quotes
When you think about shows//movies like ‘Napoleon Dynamite‘, what do you think of? Besides laughing your ass off, you probably know at least a couple of the classic quotes off the top of your head.
Without spoiling anything major from the Joe Exotic “Tiger King‘ documentary, here are just a FEW of my favorite quotes from the show that will blow your mind – more than Dua Lipa, Gwen Stefani & Eve COMBINED. 😛
The following quote was when Joe was talking about one of his husbands at the time. Oddly enough, all of his husbands don’t necessarily appear to be gay at a first-glance. I think the person interviewing Joe probably brought that up, which caused him to say the following:
In the first episode, Joe is showing off some of his Tiger King merchandise, at the zoo’s gift shop includes BBQ sauce, “sex gel“, and animal-print underwear for men. The person interviewing Joe says “Do you wear these yourself?” and Joe responds with “I don’t wear underwear…..I free ball it!”
4. TIGER FOOTAGE!
Everyone loves watching shows featuring exotic animals, even the ones without the drama and controversy that Joe Exotic “Tiger King” is overloaded with in the best way possible. It is hard to pay attention to the footage of the tigers when there is so much going on, but the show does have tons of cute baby tiger footage, and even some terrifying tiger footage, like when Kelci Saff gets her arm torn off. 😭
The amazing thing about it is how she handled it like an absolute bad ass with a positive attitude! On top of that, she didn’t let such a tragic experience keep her from going back to doing what she loved and has no resentment towards the tiger.
You can read more from Kelci about the incident, as well as footage from the 9-11 call here.
Another incident involved Joe walking around with multiple tigers, filming a political video for his campaign. Joe gets startled when a tiger starts playing and gnawing at his foot. Joe calmly panics while blurting out profanities such as “GET OUT . GO. GET! – GET OUT OF HERE YOU B*TCH!”, accompanied by him firing indirect shots with his gun as an effort to scare the tigers away. 🤣
There are tons of cute and funny tiger footage too. One of my favorite scenes is when Jeff and Lauren Lowe, hand out balloons to the tigers. They are so cute running around popping them! 😍
5. Love Stories Galore
If you love to observe other people’s wild love lives, then this show is definitely for you. 😂 The scoop on Joe Exotic’s love life is a lot to digest on it’s own, but know that the bizarre love stories in this documentary are very much present and not limited to the following overview of Joe’s love life – specifically the one’s that were featured in the documentary.
Joe has had 5 husbands, (one who died from HIV complications, and the other is currently in prison) but on the show he was primarily with his now ex-husband, John Finlay and now deceased ex-husband, Travis Maldonado, who allegedly/accidentally committed suicide on the documentary.
Shortly after Travis passed, Joe found his current husband, Dillon Passage, who has been loyal to Joe even after his arrest earlier this year. If you haven’t noticed yet – Joe likes em nice and young. 😂 Joe, is 57 years old, but his partners seem to stay within the range of 19-24 years old. You do you, Joe! I mean, you have to admit that Joe’s current bae has a pretty good looking Instagram.
Here is a photo of Joe with his current hubby Dillon:
6. Carole Baskin
Carole Freaking Baskin! 🤣 Where to even begin!? The thing about Carole that makes her so intriguing, is her tendency to always appear so guilty when it comes to knowing/not knowing what happened to her missing husband. But hey, Innocent until proven guilty though, right?
As you know, her first husband, Don Lewis, is still missing after disappearing in 1997. Many believe she fed him to her tigers, but I will let you be the judge after you watch the doc. She since then has then remarried to her current husband, Howard Baskin, in 2004, who works with her at Big Cat Rescue.
Carole Baskin is also featured in the documentary addressing her fans/supporters on her computer as she blurts out her now famous one-liner:
The only way you possibly understand why she gets so much crap from the media and general public, is to watch the entire documentary. Only then, will you see why she doesn’t come off as being innocent at all, mainly due to her odd body language, mannerisms and questionable things she says.
7. Watching Joe’s Political Campaign Coverage is a Treat by itself 😂
No, I am not referring to creepy Joe! I mean, I think that it is great that we all have the freedom to chase after any and ever dream we have, but this was so entertaining to watch. They included a lot of coverage on his political efforts in running for both president and Governor of Oklahoma.
There are many but for me, the highlight of the campaign coverage would definitely be the photo shown of the Joe Exotic Condoms…yes condoms. 😂
This is a photo of the one they showed in the documentary:
Here is a full version of one of his many political videos:
For more, visit Joe Exotic TV on YouTube.
8. HOT Music
You haven’t lived until you have heard Joe Exotic Tiger King’s music. 🤣 In fact, when you see one of his music videos for the first time, you will wonder to yourself “Is this real life?” Well, yes, yes it is.
Joe released a video featuring him and a Carole Baskin look-a-like (they really could be twins!), singing one of his country songs titled “Here Kitty Kitty“, which you can also watch here:
BUT WAIT, Joe isn’t the only one that offers some bad-to-the-bone music videos. Carole King also features a music video related to Tigers in the documentary. She isn’t in it, and isn’t the one singing, but the documentary shows her and her current husband sitting on the couch watching one of their popular music videos, “Beautiful, Wild and Free”, for ‘Big Cat Rescue“.
This one is HARD to watch, but definitely a must-watch. 😶
Now, the music is definitely cringe-worthy (Yeah, sorry I labeled this section as “Hot Music”, but were you really expecting that not to be sarcasm? 😋
Now, just be careful not to twerk too hard to those exotic beats. ☺
9. Awareness & Knowledge Opportunities
The last reason you should watch the Joe Exotic Tiger King documentary involves something that is actually pretty beneficial, which is knowledge and awareness! With this doc, you will not only learn a lot of interesting knowledge about the exotic animal/zoo world, but will also appreciate the different types of helpful awareness about a variety of topics.
Some of the things you learn about in this documentary, actually help spread awareness (intentionally or not) about a lot of important topics! Being exposed to new ideas/perspectives from people who are heavily stereotyped and/or different than you is so important for personal growth.
- Suicide – As previously mentioned in this article, Joe’s fourth husband, Travis accidentally committed suicide. That heartbreaking scene promotes suicide awareness to life, as well as firearm safety. Suicide is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Sadly, we do not hear about it enough to know how common it is.
- Tigers – Obviously, you will learn a lot about the exotic animal industry. You get a little taste about how exotic animals can easily be used for profit, personal fulfillment, and as bait to score women. (You will understand that last bit after you watch it).
- Hardships – There will be times where you get to step away for a second from solely just laughing your ass off at the appearances, comments and actions of the cast. There are a couple of heartwarming times where Joe, John, Travis, and even Carole, share some heartbreaking details of their past, including experiences with past suicide attempts, rape, bullying, drug addiction and more.
Overall, “Tiger King” is definitely intended for you to laugh at, but I did appreciate the fact that all the major stars of the show were able to give a backstory about their lives. We all are molded by our past experiences and it is a great reminder to know that you’re truly never really alone. Suffering is universal, but this show also reminds us that even the worst kinds of trauma cannot take away our spirit, hope and sense of humor.
10. You’ll be able to indulge in all this exotic merch
The last reason you should binge watch ‘Tiger King’? Oh, just because of how you’ll now be able to not only understand the funny references, but will also be able to ROCK all this awesome related gear that is available online.
1. Exotic Cup of Joe – Mug
This mug is cute and clever as heck. I mean, look at that bright tiger-print detail. So extra! 💛
Check it out here on Etsy: Exotic Cup of Joe Mug
2. Joe Exotic Action Figure
This is a badass collectors item for sure. Especially since the figurine is rocking those classic white jeans. 😝 Pay attention to the smaller print too – he comes with a hat, gun, AND his knee brace. *DEAD*
You can order one here on Etsy too: Joe Exotic Action Figure
3. Make America Exotic Again – Hat
These actually look like they would be a popular choice by Carole Baskin if she was a Joe Exotic fan in another life. I actually dig these.
Check them out here on Etsy: MAEA Hats
4. Tiger King Barbecue Dry Rub
This BBQ pork dry rub needs no introduction. All you need to know is what is on the cover of the container – The flavor name, which is”Roast that B*tch” and the cartoon of Joe and Tiger roasting Carole like a pig. 🍗
Get it on Etsy: Tiger King BBQ Rub
5. Joe Exotic Sweatshirt
inspired by an 80’s look, this Joe Exotic sweatshirt is incredibly fitting for all TK fans. 😁
Get on Etsy: Joe Exotic Sweatshirt
6. Stickers! 🐯
You can try to deny it, but just admit the fact that this is hilarious af.
Get on Etsy: Tiger King Sticker
I also came across these Joe Exotic stickers on Etsy, which give you extreme Lisa Frank vibes. 💚 Check these out here: Joe Exotic Neon Stickers
7. Tiger King Socks
Imagine being Carole Baskin and seeing this kind of stuff online. 😆
Get here on Amazon: Tiger King Socks
8. Exotic Greeting Card
Send this to anyone who deserves the most epic greeting card ever made.
Get here on Amazon: Joe Exotic Tiger King Greeting Card
9. Joe Exotic Condoms
Yes, you can actually order these and protect yourself with style. 😆
Get yours here at Firebox: Joe Exotic Condoms
Bonus: MEMES MEMES MEMES
Not only will you be able to rock the tiger king themed merch with purpose, you will also be able to understand all of these epic memes and slices of humor that have taken over the net.
Yes, this meme below is in reference to the same quote where Joe asks a question about Travis’ porn preference to determine his sexual orientation. HA.
So accurate when trying to get newbs to watch it for the first time:
Story of my life – always thinking I know wtf I’m doing:
Are we even ready for this conversation yet?
Um….Come again?
Never thought of this until now and it’s pretty damn accurate:
POLL TIME! Answer this quick, one-question poll I made:
So, After all of this being said, you should have an overwhelming amount of curiosity to watch the entire documentary. If you don’t then, please let me know why in the comments below – I am especially curious.
Saff is a trans man, you misgendered him in your article.