Carole Baskin Investigates Joe Exotic’s Former Zoo in Discovery+ Show (Exclusive) – The Hollywood Reporter
Tiger King’s Carole Baskin is investigating the treatment of big cats at the zoo formerly owned by Joe Exotic — and with the help of his niece — in a new docuseries for discovery+.
Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight will document Baskin’s investigation into the treatment of these animals alongside her husband, Howard, and their team. They will “get their hands dirty and investigate the treatment of big cats, often coming into direct confrontations with dangerous operators,” according to the streaming service.
Baskin came to national attention after appearing in Tiger King, which debuted in 2020 on Netflix. The series addressed rumors about her business and personal life, which she has dismissed as gossip spread by her foes in an effort to detract from her work. It also spotlighted Joe Exotic (aka Joseph Maldonado-Passage), who ran a zoo in Oklahoma and in January 2020 was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after being convicted in a murder-for-hire plot to kill Baskin.
A judge later awarded the G.W. Zoo property to Baskin and her Big Cat Rescue. Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight documents Baskin and her team who, with the help of retired homicide detective Griff Garrison, investigate the property for lingering evidence of animal trafficking and abuse treatment. Discovery+ promises that viewers will see “many shocking moments.”
During the search, Baskin also enlists help from Joe Exotic’s niece, Chealsi, who spent much of her childhood working at G.W. Zoo and has firsthand knowledge of what went on behind the scenes. Chealsi directs Baskin and the investigators to different areas around the zoo in pursuit of evidence such as animal remains.
Baskin and her team also launch separate missions to capture evidence of illegal zoo tours and animal abuse at roadside zoos, including one that leads them to a former drug dealer in Miami.
Discovery+ says viewers will see “a very different side” to Baskin, who also competed on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars last year.
“Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight reveals Carole’s story in her own words,” said Amy Introcaso-Davis, executive vp development and production factual programming at Discovery. “Viewers will see this larger-than-life personality in the fight for her beloved big cats’ lives as she uncovers and stops the exploitation of these animals.”
Said Baskin: “This is a unique opportunity for audiences to come behind the scenes with us for an unfiltered look at how we expose the cub-petting exploiters and roadside zoos we feel are mistreating animals. This is our real-life work within a dangerous world, and viewers will see it comes with our people being threatened, guns pointed at us and the bad guys shooting at our drones.”
The docuseries, which debuts Nov. 13 on discovery+, is produced by ITV America’s Thinkfactory Media, where Adam Reed, Adam Freeman, Tim Cohen-Laurie and Pat McGee serve as executive producers, along with Carole and Howard Baskin. Keith Hoffman and Joseph Schneier are executive producers for discovery+.
Watch the trailer below.