Tiger King's Joe Exotic has slammed former President Donald Trump for not granting him a Presidential pardon. Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, known professionally as Joe Exotic, is the star behind one of Netflix's popular series, Tiger King. The true-crime documentary hit Netflix right at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and quickly captured the interest of those quarantined. Tiger King follows the underworld of big cat breeding and private zoo ownerships. Its primary focus is eccentric zoo operator, Exotic, whose career in the big cat world is fraught with chaos, abuse allegations, and a murder-for-hire plot.

Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence for wildlife crimes and for plotting to kill animal rights activist and animal sanctuary owner Carole Baskin. Baskin and Exotic had a years-long feud in which Baskin accused Exotic of abusing and violating animals, while Exotic fought her to keep his spotlight. Tiger King season 2 followed the aftermath of the chaos of season 1, probing Baskin's missing husband and Exotic's efforts to get out of prison. Desperate to get out of jail, Exotic and his supporters began pressing Trump for a Presidential pardon, but it was not granted.

Related: Tiger King 2: Every "Star" Who Didn't Return

As reported by The Daily Beast, Exotic has used his new memoir to slam Trump for not granting him a pardon. Exotic had truly put his hope on getting a Presidential pardon from Trump before he left office in 2020. When he got diagnosed with cancer, that was a point of persuasion he used to present his need for being pardoned. However, Trump left office, and no such pardon was ever granted. Exotic expressed that Trump left him looking like a "dumbass" by not granting the pardon. He went on to claim that if he had bribed Trump, it might have made a difference. Check out his statement below:

Word has it I should have written a big check and I would have gotten that pardon, too.

Joe Exotic smiling, on the phone while in jail in a scene from Tiger King 2.

Trump is far from the only one who received Exotic's spite in his new memoir. In his book, Tiger King: The Official Tell-All Memoir, released November 23rd, Exotic takes aim at and throws serious allegations against just about everyone he knows. There is the usual hefty dose of hatred towards Baskin, and a slew of abuse allegations and criminal accusations against his family, ex-husband, business partners, and zoo employees. Even Trump cannot escape Exotic's wrath as he strives to garner sympathy by claiming his innocence and wrongful imprisonment. Exotic has long maintained Jeff Lowe, his business partner, was behind the murder-for-hire plot and has denied ever abusing or wrongfully killing his big cats.

It is difficult to determine if Exotic was deserving to be one of the 237 individuals Trump pardoned during his presidency. Exotic does a good job of feigning innocence, but those close to him have recounted horror stories of his abuse, cruelty, and mistreatment of animals. However, with his aggressive cancer and court orders for re-sentencing, there is still a slight possibility his sentence could be altered, even without the pardon. In addition to this, he isn't likely to stop appealing for help. Exotic even begged Kim Kardashian for help in the past, and his new memoir is the continuation of his campaign for release from prison. While Tiger King may eventually fade from prominence, Exotic refuses to be forgotten and will continue to slam everyone from former presidents to Baskin until he gets returned to fame.

More: Why Tiger King 2 Failed Despite The Original Being Netfix's Perfect Show

Source: The Daily Beast