Joe Exotic says he is "ashamed" of his past behavior. The star of the Netflix cult hit show "Tiger King" has become the center of attention since the docuseries aired, but he is behind bars, where he was put last year on charges of a murder-for-hire plot against animal rights activist Carole Baskin plus various violations of acts regarding wild animals.
Now the former big-cat breeder and roadside zoo operator, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is opening up about his regrets
"You know it would be nice if I could actually see me being famous out there, but I've seen these same four walls for a year and a half now," he said in an interview with Netflix, which was shared to Twitter on Friday. Exotic also expressed remorse for having kept his animals in cages.
"Go sit in a cage with your animals for a week," he said. "I mean, when I left the zoo and I sent my chimpanzees to the sanctuary in Florida and imagined what my chimpanzees went through for 18 years, I'm ashamed of myself."
Exotic then spoke of "The Carole Basking saga." Throughout the Netflix series, she has been portrayed as his arch-rival. Baskin, who runs the Big Cat Rescue, has long criticized Exotic for his handling of animals and Exotic has accused Baskin of killing her former husband, Don Lewis, who went missing 23 years ago. Exotic says he wants to let go of the past.
"I’m done with the Carole Baskin saga," he said. "It’s now time to turn the tables and Joe get out of jail a free man and exonerated from all these charges."