Tiger King star Joe Exotic is holding out hope that President Donald Trump will pardon him before leaving office. In fact, Exotic’s team appears to be so confident that the president could pardon the controversial reality star that they got a limo and a beauty crew ready for his potential release from prison, according to the New York Post. As the publication noted, a stretch limousine was spotted near the prison that Exotic (real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage) is serving his sentence in.
Exotic was sentenced to prison for 22 years for trying to hire a hitman to kill his zookeeper rival Carole Baskin, who also appeared in Tiger King. He is currently one year into his sentence. The Netflix personality’s team is very confident that Trump will grant him a pardon, as the president has been issuing numerous pardons to individuals in the days leading up to his departure from office. Eric Love, who is leading Exotic’s bid for a presidential pardon, spoke to Metro.co.uk on Monday about their efforts to have the Tiger King star released from prison. He told the publication, “This time tomorrow, we’re going to be celebrating.” Love even shared that Exotic already has a thank-you message recorded for the president if he does issue the pardon.
Videos by PopCulture.com
This is the stretch Limo standing by at #JoeExotic Fort Worth Lawyers office. Iโm told theyโre waiting on a call from the White House confirming the presidential pardon before heading to pick him up at the prison. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/1tJzQHefxD
โ Ken Molestina (@cbs11ken) January 19, 2021
“We have good reason to believe it will come through,” Love said about the presidential pardon. “We’re confident enough we already have a limousine parked about half a mile from the prison. We are really in action mode right now.” The limousine in question was seen near the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Love told The Sun in a separate interview that once (and if) Trump issues the pardon, the limo driver will pick up the legal team and a team for Exotic’s hair, makeup, and wardrobe.
“We are not going to have any cameras with us. It’s going to be a very private moment,” Love told the outlet, noting that it will be private as Exotic wants to make sure that he is presentable to the public first. “Joe is a very flamboyant person โ Joe is a colorful personality. And if you look at someone when they’ve been incarcerated, they don’t look like that when they’re coming out. So Joe’s got to have that platinum done, and well that’s what we got โ hair, wardrobe and makeup. We’ve got the best in the business.” While Trump has reportedly said he will “take a look” at Exotic’s request, as of Tuesday, the president’s last full day in office, he has not issued a pardon for the Netflix star.