Tiger King star Joe Exotic may soon have his very own radio show, presented live from his prison cell.
Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, quickly became a household name through Netflix documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. The program gained traction quickly after its March 20 release, breaking Netflix records and inspiring countless internet memes based off of its wacky cast.
It seems that Exotic is far from abandoning the limelight, since, according to his husband Dillon Passage, there’s talk of the 57-year-old being given a radio segment.
“This radio station here in the US wants him to have his own radio show from inside the prison,” Passage told Metro. “So we’ll see what happens with that. It’s kind of mind-blowing.”
Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison for the attempted murder for hire of rival Carole Baskin, as well as numerous charges of animal abuse. Exotic was recently moved to a prison in Texas, where he’s reportedly been “absolutely thrilled” about the popularity of Tiger King.
The frenzy around the series has already caused Exotic’s Instagram following to skyrocket to over 435,000, and even caught the attention of President Donald Trump. Trump said he would, “look into” a presidential pardon for Exotic.
However, it doesn’t look like Exotic will be going anywhere anytime soon. On March 17, Exotic filed both an appeal and $94 million lawsuit, arguing he’d been unfairly targeted and imprisoned because of his sexuality and extensive tiger collection. The appeal has since been denied.
Considering the extensive evidence stacked against him, and the ongoing pandemic, it’s difficult to guess if and when the Tiger King will be let out of his cage. However, with the proposed broadcasting deal, maybe fans of the series can hear more of Exotic’s wild tales in the near future.