Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness quickly took the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 since it’s release two weeks ago. However, because people were so quick to invest, viewers have a lot of unanswered questions after its final episode in the docuseries. But now, the co-directors and writers, Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin are clearing a few of them up via the Los Angeles Times.
One question that many are curious about is whether or not Joe “Exotic” Maldonado-Passage’s former business partner Jeff Lowe has moved from the famous roadside zoo yet or not to re-open it at a different location.
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“Not yet,” Goode replied. “My guess — and it may be unfair for me to say this — I think he’s gonna struggle to get it open. Obviously, in our current state of affairs, I doubt a lot of people are going to these places. I doubt he has much in the way of ticket sales. I don’t know what Jeff Lowe’s balance sheet is, but if he’s trying to solicit money from Shaquille O’Neal… .”
The NBA player made a brief appearance in the docuseries and fans had questions following it. O’Neal admitted that while he has a fascination with tigers, once he found out what was going on at the park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, he stopped going.
“I can’t see how Shaquille O’Neal’s handlers would allow him to invest,” he added.
Maldonado-Passage is currently in prison but is “ecstatic” over the fact that he’s “famous” now from the Netflix Original.
“Joe has called me quite a few times over the last few days and week,” Goode revealed. “One, he is absolutely ecstatic about the series and the idea of being famous. He’s absolutely thrilled. I think he is trying to be an advocate for — no surprise — criminal justice reform. He is in a cage and of course he’s gonna say that he now recognizes what he did to these animals.”
Maldonado-Passage has been charged with 17 counts of animal abuse and two counts of murder-for-hire and is asking President Donald Trump to excuse them all as he pleads for his freedom. On top of that, he’s also suing Lowe, James Garretson — who was a confidential informant for the prosecution — and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for $94 million dollars. He’s accusing both Lowe and Garretson of using the zoo “as a front for credit card fraud, ID theft, mail fraud, illegal drugs, human trafficking, and selling tiger parts.”
