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3 Jul 2025 6:38
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Joe Exotic thinks he could die in prison

    The 'Tiger King' star - who is currently two and a half years into a 22-year sentence after being convicted of plotting a murder-for-hire against his rival Carole Baskin, as well as other charges - is concerned the prison system aren't addressing his various medical issues in the way they are supposed to and his health is now "deteriorating by the day"


    However, Joe has vowed to use his fame for good if he ever does get out of jail.

    He told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I have CVID, which is a common variable immune disease, which means I have no immune system, and I have to get blood infusions every three to four weeks, and I've only been getting them every three months.

    "I was weighed again last week and I lost another 10 pounds, last week alone.

    "I have hemoglobin anemia, which is another blood disease. They used to take me downtown to the cancer center for treatment but we stopped doing that.

    "I refused treatment for tuberculosis last week, I'm dealing with another disease, my mouth is full of ulcers. I cannot eat. I look bad.

    "Listen, if I live through this because my health is deteriorating by the day ... I'm gonna do nothing but go around the world and help the kids that have been born with cleft palates and fix their faces. OperationSmile.org is one of my favorite charities that I am going to get behind and we're going to turn this into something good...

    "I'm [also] gonna stand for prison reform and justice reform."

    Carole's husband, Howard Baskin, recently said the couple would help with Joe's campaign for early release if he supported the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December and prohibits the private ownership of big cats, and the 58-year-old former zoo owner - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - wants to accept their offer, but with conditions.

    He said: "It is time for Carole and Howard to put up or shut the hell up because I'm accepting their offer.

    "And I'm gonna take it one step further than that, OK? It is time to get on the phone to President Biden or whoever they need to that they've got in their little financial pocket and say, 'Hey, Joe is willing to support a big cat bill to help protect cats in America from being exploited. But we need to keep our end of the deal and get Joe a pardon because this wasn't really about murder for hire or shooting five tigers -- this was about exploiting Joe to support Carole's agenda.' So, there's the offer on the table, all right?

    "The way [the act is] written is not gonna help anybody except PETA and Carole Baskin.

    "So, I'll testify in front of the Senate, I'll testify in front of the House, they want to end big cats in America and they want to end the exploitation of them, I'm the man to do it. But it's time to get an attorney general down here and listen to the evidence that I have to prove I'm innocent and get me the hell out of here. And they've got my support.

    "Other than that, they need to stay the hell out of the news with all their c*** just to get their name in the paper because I just called their bluff."

    Carole insisted she stands by the offer.

    She said: "I wouldn't seek a reduced sentence for Joe based upon him just saying he'd help end cub handling.

    "I think he'd say anything, but not actually do it. He'd have to actually work with authorities to bring all of his buddies to justice and work with legislators to end cub handling. Then, I'd want him to be rewarded for having done the right thing."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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