Cancel the Tiger King Star’s post-release limo and McRib meal
In the world’s most bizarre sentence, Joe Exotic – the sequin-draped, baby tiger-clutching, peroxide blonde-mulleted star of a Netflix show binged by the world as they endured lockdown during a global pandemic – has been forced to cancel his limo after reality TV star Donald Trump didn’t grant him a presidential pardon. Whew.
Let me explain. Today (January 20) marks Trump’s last day in office, as Democrat Joe Biden is being inaugurated as the new US president. Ahead of his departure, the outgoing president has pardoned or commuted the sentences of 143 people. One person not on the list is Tiger King’s Joe Exotic, who’s currently serving a 22-year sentence for animal abuse and hiring a hitman to murder his nemesis, Carole Baskin.
This news has come as a surprise to Exotic and his team, who revealed yesterday (January 19) that they had a limo waiting outside the prison ready for his release. “We have a good reason to believe it will come through,” private investigator Eric Love, who’s leading Exotic’s case, said of the expected pardon. “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.”
Exotic even had post-prison release plans. “I’ve got make-up, wardrobe, the whole unit that will come up,” continued Love. “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.”
Joe Exotic's legal team tell me they are "100% confident" Trump will pardon the 'Tiger King' from his 22-year criminal sentence. Here's the 38ft "Monster Ram Truck Limo" they've reserved to pick him up. They plan to grab some McRibs immediately after. pic.twitter.com/mK69eGLiBV
— Greg Walters (@thegregwalters) January 19, 2021
Exotic’s certainty likely stems from Trump’s promise to “take a look” at his conviction back in April. In May, it was announced that Exotic’s legal team were preparing a case file for the president, claiming that he was wrongly convicted of murder-for-hire. Last month, it was reported that Exotic was “very close” to receiving a presidential pardon, as Trump’s team said they were vetting a number of pardon requests.
Some people who were pardoned by the president include his former advisor Steve Bannon, who’s charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with the ‘We Build the Wall’ campaign. Given these donors were Trump supporters, it’s likely his pardon won’t be welcomed by the president’s fans.
Also on Trump’s pardon list is Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge last year, while Kodak Black – charged with firearms offences – had his sentence commuted. Michael ‘Harry O’ Harris, the co-founder of Death Row Records, was pardoned after serving 32 years in prison for attempted murder and cocaine trafficking.
Notably missing from the list was Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and whistleblower Edward Snowden. You can see the full list of pardons and commutations here.