Joe Exotic transferred from coronavirus isolation to prison medical center
Tiger King” star Joe Exotic, 57, has been transferred from coronavirus isolation to a prison medical center.
Inmate records show Thursday that Joseph “Exotic” Maldonado-Passage is now located at the Federal Bureau of Prisons-operated Federal Medical Center Forth Worth in Texas.
Exotic’s fourth husband, 24-year-old bartender Dillon Passage, told Andy Cohen that Exotic had previously been isolated at the Grady County Jail in Chickasha, Oklahoma, over coronavirus concerns. The facility is an hour’s drive from Exotic’s former zoo, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.
The facility “put him on COVID-19 isolation” due to the fact that “the previous jail he was at, there were cases,” Passage said on Cohen’s SiriusXM series “Andy Cohen Live.” He did not say whether Exotic had tested positive for the coronavirus.
“He is no longer here at this facility,” a Grady County staffer confirmed to The Post, recommending we reach out again Friday and speak to a different jail worker.
However, when reached for an update on Exotic’s condition, the FMC Fort Worth told The Post, “I’m sorry this information is not public.”
The big-cat lover and star of the hit Netflix docuseries is serving a 22-year sentence for falsifying wildlife records, violating the Endangered Species Act by killing five tiger cubs, and federal charges for a 2017 murder-for-hire scheme targeting Big Cat Rescue founder and arch-nemesis Carole Baskin.
Exotic is seeking a combined $94 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, his former business partner Jeff Lowe and several former colleagues say. The polygamist announced his lawsuit and issued a call for a pardon from President Trump on March 19 on his Facebook page.
“This lawsuit has been filed in the name of Justice, The Trump Administration must be made aware of the Overreach, perjury, abuse of power and the failure to uphold the Oath of their position which is truth and Justice for all,” the gun-toting Oklahoma native wrote in the post.
Since the world can't get enough Tiger King, it appears Netflix plans on feeding America's appetite.
Dillon Passage -- husband of the show's star, Joe Exotic -- spoke with Andy Cohen on his Sirius XM show, Andy Cohen Live, and shed a bit of light on the rumored bonus episode of the megahit documentary series.
"It's going to be a live episode, kind of like a reunion," Passage suggested, adding that, "Netflix didn't contact me to be a part of that."
When asked if Carole Baskin -- a legal and ideological rival of Exotic -- would be involved, Passage said, "I have no idea."
"I only spoke with one of the producers for a little while about it," he said, adding that the episode would be "more like a talent interview."
As for Exotic -- whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage -- the former zookeeper is currently incarcerated, and in quarantine, at a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.
In January, Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted on an array of charges, including two counts of murder-for-hire and 17 other wildlife violations.
Dillon's remarks to Cohen come shortly after Jeff Lowe -- another subject of the documentary -- first teased that another episode was coming to Netflix soon.
Lowe shared the news in a Cameo message to Los Angeles Dodgers star Justin Turner, whose wife, Kourtney, spoke about the show on her podcast, Holding Kourt.
"Thank you for watching our show... you just wasted seven hours on us. You need a life," Lowe and his wife, Lauren Dropla, joked in the message. "Take care, guys, we love you. Netflix is adding one more episode, [that] will be on next week. We're filming here tomorrow. Take care, stay safe and put your mask on!" [Reply]
A spin-off is being made by Investigation Discovery....the train wreck just won't stop. I think this got bigger than anyone thought and everyone has $ in their eyes now.
Listen up, all you cool cats and kittens. Investigation Discovery thinks there’s more to the Joe Exotic saga than even “Tiger King” unfolded.
The network has greenlit a new true crime series called “Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic,” which is being promoted as a “sequel” to the Netflix docuseries that captivated the world.
Where “Tiger King” attempted to unfurl the mess of the big cat world, “Investigating” will focus instead on the mysteries surrounding Joseph Maldonado-Passage and his rival, Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Florida and the woman he tried to have killed.
Florida sheriff renews search for missing millionaire Don Lewis, featured in ‘Tiger King’ »
Among the big questions the series promises to answer is the disappearance of Baskin’s millionaire husband Don Lewis.
Lewis, 81, was last seen in August 1997 and rumors have spiraled, fueled by Joe Exotic, that Baskin killed him and fed him to her tigers.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has recently renewed the investigation into Lewis’ disappearance.
Carole Baskin's husband Don Lewis has been missing for more than 20 years.
Baskin has denied any involvement.
“Don was not easy to live with and like most couples, we had our moments. But I never threatened him and I certainly had nothing to do with his disappearance," she wrote in a blog post after “Tiger King” was released.
"When he disappeared, I did everything I could to assist the police. I encouraged them to check out the rumors from Costa Rica, and separately I hired a private investigator.”
Florida sheriff reports no ‘credible’ tips in disappearance of ‘Tiger King’ millionaire Don Lewis, but case still open »
She also called speculation that she had fed his body through the Big Cat Rescue meat grinder “the most ludicrous of all the lies."
“Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic" will be told through Exotic’s perspective, ID said.
“Viewers are understandably riveted by Netflix’s ‘Tiger King,’ but the millions of true crime fans around the world were left wanting more,” Henry Schleiff, Group President ID, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America, said in a statement.
“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.” [Reply]
