“Carole will have her own party”: Joe Exotic reveals cancer diagnosis

Tiger King Joe Exotic recently revealed that he has been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer. The infamous zookeeper, who continues to remain behind bars, opened up about his health condition in a letter to his team.

The TV personality mentioned that his biopsy results came back positive, and he is also awaiting reports of other medical examinations. He even claimed that his big cat rival and animal rights activist Carole Baskin will likely party over his diagnosis:

“Right now I don’t want anyone’s pity and I’m sure Carole will have her own party over this!”

Joe Exotic also said he is not looking for sympathy but wants people to support him for immediate release from prison. The roadshow entertainer has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for an alleged murder conspiracy and hiring two hitmen to kill Carole Baskin in Florida.

The sentence was later reduced to 17 years. However, Joe Exotic continued to make repeated claims about being innocent. He asserted similar statements in his latest letter and said that there is no legal proof against his alleged charges.

Following his recent diagnosis, Joe Exotic wished to receive treatment at home and spend time with his loved ones. His attorney John Phillips also told TMZ that the legal team will request for Exotic’s ‘compassionate release’ from prison to avoid delays and risks of fatal consequences.

A look into Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s rivalry ahead of ‘Tiger King 2’

The rivalry between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin gained widespread attention after being documented in the Emmy-nominated Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

Their feud began after Baskin attempted to take a dig at Exotic’s travel shows and his controversial Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park while working towards banning commercial cub petting in the U.S.

Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue organization arranged a movement against Exotic’s actions and affected his revenue streams through their efforts. In response, Exotic established his own YouTube channel to criticize and question the integrity of Baskin’s organization.

In 2002, Joe Exotic also promoted conspiracy theories against Carole Baskin related to the murder and disappearance of her second husband, Don Lewis. Years later, Exotic rebranded his travel show as Big Cat Rescue Entertainment to imitate Baskin’s branding.

The latter sued Exotic for copyright infringement and was also awarded a $1 million settlement. In 2020, Baskin was also granted ownership of Exotic’s G.W. Zoo after she won another lawsuit against him.

Earlier this year, TMZ reported that the activist sold the zoo for $140,000, claiming that the venue no longer serves its purpose. Meanwhile, Exotic was sentenced to prison for an alleged attempted murder conspiracy against Baskin.

In December 2020, Carole Baskin revealed that her rivalry with Joe Exotic was only ‘fabricated’ for the Netflix show. During an interview with Fox News, she mentioned that she had never spoken to Exotic before the documentary series:

“Joe and I had never, in fact, actually even had a conversation with each other prior to all of this. So the whole idea that was painted as this big feud between us was just fabricated for the purpose of this show.”

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The upcoming season of Tiger King will further focus on Exotic and Baskin’s feud, their ongoing legal issues, and the latter’s investigation about the death of her late husband. The series is set to be released on November 17.