Eric Goode, one of the directors behind Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness has come under fire, and it has nothing to do with his Netflix series. A number of Goode’s employees were laid off from several restaurants he owns in New York City. Now, the dozens of former employees are pleading with him for aid amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Buzzfeed.
Along with Rebecca Chaiklin, Goode co-directed and executive produced the Netflix docuseries, though he also owns a number of upscale establishments in trendy Manhattan and laid off several employees amid widespread closures due to social distancing guidelines. “We made him a lot of money,” Arturo Vasquez said, a 22-year veteran employee of B Bar, one of Goode’s businesses. “I was always there. I never missed it. At the least, leave me with compensation or something to help with this problem we have.”
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Along with Vasquez, three other workers in Goode’s businesses spoke with the outlet, who said that their former boss hasn’t been offering up any charitable endeavors for his many employees as others have. Even as he enjoys all the newfound notoriety that comes with directing one of the most popular series the streamer has produced.
“They have families, they have children, they have mortgages to pay, and they spent a lot of their life working for B Bar, former floor manager Luis Lugo explained. “You’re the director of Tiger King and you own the Jane Hotel and you’re not a small mom-and-pop shop that’s struggling. You’re someone that has the financial resources to make a difference.” Lugo added that he, along with numerous other of Goode’s employees were undocumented, and thus unable to apply for government assistance.
Congress recently pushed through a $2 trillion aid bill aimed at helping businesses and individuals who have been adversely affected by widespread closures due to coronavirus. However, there have been hiccups, namely that the $349 billion allocated to helping small businesses was reportedly out of funds as of Wednesday. There have also been the first wave of $1200 individual stimulus checks, though anxious recipients had crashed the IRS website on Wednesday trying to track their payments.
As several states have begun the discussion on when it will be safe to reopen businesses, President Donald Trump unveiled a three-tier federal guideline based on hospital capacity and a reduction in reported cases. However, the president stressed that it’s ultimately the decision of state governors.
