‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic to Reveal More Carole Baskin Allegations in New ID Series


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Investigation Discovery is jumping on the “Tiger King” phenomenon, greenlighting a new program that it bills as the “definitive sequel” to the hit Netflix docuseries.

“Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic” will examine the life of Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage and explore his rival, Carole Baskin, whom Maldonado-Passage has accused of killing her first husband. The limited series is expected to premiere later this year on ID.

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In a press release, ID claimed the show will focus on “the investigation you didn’t get to see, revealing the secrets only Joe knows, the exclusive footage that has never been shown and the search to answer the one question every person in America is asking themselves right now: although she’s denied it, is Carole Baskin responsible for the disappearance of her husband, Don Lewis?”

The ID series will be told from Joe Exotic’s perspective, as it asks questions such as whether Baskin orchestrated Lewis’ disappearance to take control of his estate. “No one seems to be talking — except for one man — and that man is the center of ID’s upcoming investigative series,” the network said.

Conveyor Media is behind “Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic,” with Theresa McKeown and Colin Whelan as executive producers.

“Viewers are understandably riveted by Netflix’s ‘Tiger King,’ but the millions of true crime fans around the world were left wanting more,” said Henry Schleiff, group president of ID, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America. “ID is the perfect place to find the inevitable sequel to this drama — featuring a missing husband, a hit man, and the illegal business of exotic animals. It’s time to let the cat out of the bag and address the lingering questions that viewers demand be answered.”

Since its premiere on March 20, Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” has become a pop culture phenomenon. But it also has been criticized by several of its subjects — including Baskin, who slammed the docuseries for “being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers. As part of that, it has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don in 1997. The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers.”

Meanwhile, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tweeted on March 30 that he’s asking for new leads in Lewis’ disappearance.

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