Tiger King ‘Left to die’: Florida prisoner Joe Exotic shares opinions about Chrisley pardons

AI-assisted summary
• Joe Exotic reacted negatively to Donald Trump's pardon of Todd and Julie Chrisley.
• The 'Tiger King' star is serving a 21-year sentence for animal abuse and a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin.
• Exotic's earliest release date from the Florida prison he's serving his sentence at is currently October 1, 2030.

Get ready to be transported back to 2020. Remember Joe Exotic? If you don't, he's the main subject on the hit docu-series "Tiger King" that many Netflix fans binged during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown.

While the popularity of the show and the general public's obsession with Joe Exotic waned after the second season in 2021, he's still very active on social media (despite being in a Florida prison) and he called out President Donald Trump this week, asking yet again for a pardon.

Trump pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley of "Chrisley Knows Best" fame on Tuesday, March 27. And the jailed animal handler has some thoughts about it.

The Chrisleys, who were depicted on their USA Network show as real estate tycoons in the South, were found guilty in June 2022 of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta out of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion. Julie Chrisley was additionally convicted of obstruction of justice and wire fraud.

Joe Exotic took to social media to express his shock and frustrations over the pardons and questioned why the Trump Administration has not heard his pleas to be released from jail in Florida.

Who is Joe Maldonado or 'Joe Exotic'?

Joseph Allen Maldonado, known professionally as Joe Exotic and nicknamed "The Tiger King," is a media personality, businessman and politician. He was the founder and owner of the Garold Wayne Exotic Memorial Animal Park in Oklahoma, which he ran from 1999 to 2018.

Maldonado is most notably the subject of Netflix’s 2020 docu-series "Tiger King," which captivated millions of viewers across the globe at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also ran for U.S. president in 2016 and for governor of Oklahoma in 2018.

What happened to Joe Exotic? Why is Joe Exotic in jail?

Maldonado is currently housed at the Santa Rosa County Jail in Milton, Florida.

The animal handler and reality star was jailed in March of last year. For those who need to catch up, he was found guilty back in 2019 on two counts of hiring someone to kill his nemesis, animal sanctuary CEO Carol Baskin; eight counts of violating the Lacey Act by falsifying wildlife records; and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, after it was discovered that he killed five tigers and sold tigers across state lines.

He was originally sentenced to 22 years in prison, but when a federal appeals court ruled in 2021 that a mistake was made, he was tried again. Maldonado was resentenced to 21 years in January 2022. In between the two decisions, he announced he had prostate cancer.

He also appeared in court for a civil hearing in a case set in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Maldonado launched a civil lawsuit against musician Vince Johnson and several businesses over alleged copyright infringement and breaches of confidential agreements related to "musical compositions that contractually belong to Maldonado."

The case was dismissed by a Florida judge.

The News Journal spoke with Maldonado in a jailhouse interview over the phone last year, during which he detailed the number of video and phone call requests that have come in for him since he arrived.

“I am shocked how popular I am down here for only living here three months,” Maldonado said. “But let me tell you, this video machine is going off every 15 minutes. I'm almost ashamed because the other inmates don't get to use this video machine enough because I'm constantly on it from people calling in.”

What did Joe Exotic say about the Chrisleys getting pardoned by Trump?

Following the news of the Chrisleys getting pardoned on Tuesday evening, Maldonado took to social media to express his frustrations over the Trump Administration's actions.

"I guess being innocent is not enough in America. They all admitted to perjury on world television but yet I'm left to die of cancer before I can get any help," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Maldonado continued posting his thoughts, adding "I don't have a million dollars but I would give it if I could get out to work." He also reposted dozens of messages from fans sharing their support for his release.

After Trump also announced the pardoning of former Chicago gangster leader, Larry Hoover, Maldonado tweeted: "I think I'm going to just shut up. I get more mind blown by the day."

Has Trump responded to Joe Exotic's plea for a pardon?

Trump has not addressed Maldonado's campaign for pardoning. A White House official told E! News on Wednesday, May 28, "We do not speculate on pardons that may or may not happen."

When does Joe Exotic get released from jail?

According to Maldonado, his earliest date for release is Oct. 1, 2030.

Are inmates allowed to use social media? How does Joe Exotic post on Instagram from jail?

If you follow Joe Exotic on Instagram, you know he posts a lot. But how is that possible, if he’s behind bars?

Inmates aren’t typically allowed to use social media while in jail, but there are a variety of ways that they do. There are two main methods that inmates accomplish posting on social media from prison: having someone on the outside post for them or using a contraband phone or tablet.

The Appeal, a nonprofit news organization that aims to expose “how the U.S. criminal legal system fails to keep people safe and perpetuates harm,” reported a federal crackdown on inmate access to social media platforms in 2024.

“As it stands, many incarcerated people either access social media on tablets or contraband devices or send information to loved ones to post,” The Appeal reported. 

“Many state prison systems already ban imprisoned people from accessing social media and a handful of states, including Alabama and Iowa, ban third parties from posting on prisoners’ behalf.”

Florida does not currently have a law that directly prohibits inmates from using a third party to post on their behalf.

Who has Trump pardoned so far since January?

Trump has run through bursts of pardons since his inauguration. Among them are:

• 1,500+ January 6th rioters, including more than 140 with Florida connections
• Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace
• Andrew Zabavsky and Terence Dale Sutton, Jr., two DC Metropolitan Police Department officers who were responsible for the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown
• 23 anti-abortion protestors who blocked access to a Washington, D.C. clinic
• Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, in prison for soliciting campaign funds and other favors in exchange for former President Barack Obama's Senate seat.
• Former Republican Tennessee state Senator Brian Kelsey, convicted of an illegal campaign finance scheme that he initially pleaded guilty to
• Thomas Edward Caldwell, retired Navy intelligence officer found tampering with evidence regarding the Capitol attack 
• Devon Archer, businessman, and Hunter Biden's former business partner, convicted of committing fraud against a Native American tribe involving more than $60 million in bonds
• Co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, Benjamin Delo, Arthur Hayes and Samuel Reed, convicted of money laundering
• Michele Fiore, who had been convicted of seven counts relating to wire fraud for stealing $70,000 intended for a memorial to fallen police officers
• Paul Walczak, a former Florida nursing home executive convicted of misappropriating over $10 million in employment taxes to pay for his lavish lifestyle
• Former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, Scott Jenkins, convicted of bribery in what prosecutors called a “cash-for-badges scheme”
• Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
• Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit tax fraud and keepping over $107,000 in business gifts and was later convicted of obstructing justice, conspiracy, falsifying government documents, and other violations of campaign finance laws.
• Louisiana-born rapper NBA YoungBoy, in prison for federal gun charges
• Larry Hoover, a Chicago gang leader who co-founded the Gangster Disciples and was convicted of murder in 1973
• Former Lt. Mark Bashaw, a U.S. Army officer was found guilty by a special court-martial during the Biden administration for refusing to follow COVID-19 safety measures
• Former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, convicted of tax fraud

Can I still watch 'Tiger King' on Netflix?

In case you missed it five years ago, you can still watch the infamous true crime documentary streaming on Netflix. There are currently three seasons, with 15 episodes altogether. The third "season" is a one-episode special that follows Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle, who also ran a roadside zoo and pleaded guilty to federal charges of wildlife trafficking and money laundering in 2023, according to the DOJ.

The show also inspired a scripted mini-series titled "Joe vs. Carole," with actor John Cameron Mitchell portraying Joe Exotic and "SNL" alumnus Kate McKinnon portraying Baskin. You can stream the entire series on Peacock.

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORKL - Florida, contributed to this story.