He will never recover from this, probably
Joe Exotic, the protagonist (and antagonist) of the wildly popular lockdown one hit Tiger King has not been granted a presidential pardon by Donald Trump.
He had reportedly been so confident he would be pardoned that he had arranged for a limousine to wait for him outside of the FMC Fort Worth prison in Texas where is serving a 22-year sentence.
Ahead of the final day of his presidency, Trump had been expected to pardon a large number of figures, and in that regard he did not disappoint, with pardons granted to 73 people and commuted the sentences of an additional 70 individuals.
Among them were Lil Wayne, who had been awaiting sentencing on firearms charges, and Trump ally Steve Bannon, who had convicted of fraud related to political fundraising.
Speaking on Tuesday, private investigator Eric Love, who was leading Exotic’s case, stated his certainty that his client would be exonerated.
“We’re going to be celebrating,” Love, told Metro. “We have good reason to believe it will come through. We’re confident enough we already have a limousine parked about half a mile from the prison. We are really in action mode right now.
“I’ve got make-up, wardrobe, the whole unit that will come up. The first thing Joe wants to do, he wants his hair done. He hasn’t had his hair done in two-and-a-half years. That’s the first order of business. Then we’ll probably go and get some pizzas, steak, maybe a McRib.”
Exotic, real name Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, was convicted in 2019 on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire after he instigated a plot to kill Carole Baskin.
Both Baskin and Exotic were central figures in Tiger King, a large portion of which focused on their rivalry in the big cat conservation industry.
Following his conviction, Baskin assumed ownership of his business, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.
