'Tiger' King Joe Exotic makes shock revelations from prison - including fascinating new development with Carole Baskin

'Tiger King' Joe Exotic admitted that he wanted his rival Carol Baskin gone during an exclusive jailhouse question and reply successful nan midst of his 21-year murder-for-hire sentence.

The 55-year-old told NBC's News Channel 8 he is still hoping for a caller trial, connected a telephone from a Florida Panhandle prison.

“I conscionable wanted her retired of my hairsbreadth and time off maine alone,” he said astir anti large feline proprietor activistic Carole Baskin.

The zookeeper said he has prostate cancer and perchance crab of nan lung arsenic well, and is besides pining for a statesmanlike pardon. 

His alleged mark, Baskin, was not interviewed, but her 3rd and existent husband, Howard Baskin, was.

Exotic has accused Baskin of sidesplitting her 2nd husband, Don Lewis, and feeding him to her ain tigers - accusations he maintained Tuesday successful his filmed telephone call.

'I still deliberation that she is bats**t crazy and that she killed her husband,' Exotic said of his tiger-loving rival. 

'But maine and Carol, maine and Carol made money disconnected of each different for years,' he quickly added.

He of people was referencing nan Netflix movie that became nan blameworthy pleasance for much than 30 cardinal Americans, wherever onlookers sewage a glimpse of nan tiger owner's unconventional life. 

It besides imparted really multi-millionaire Lewis, who co-owned a Florida wildlife sanctuary pinch Baskin, vanished without a trace successful August 1997 astatine property 59.

He has ne'er been found, nor has immoderate grounds to propose he was murdered, but authorities person stated they don't judge he vanished connected his own. 

Shortly aft his disappearance, Baskin - his woman astatine nan clip and nan past known personification to spot him live – produced his will and his powerfulness of lawyer that gave her complete power of his $5 cardinal estate.

Baskin was ne'er charged successful narration to Lewis' August 18, 1997 disappearance, but nan lawsuit remains unfastened and gained world notoriety pursuing nan merchandise of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness successful March 2020.

The bid focuses connected nan long-running feud betwixt nan self-proclaimed animal activistic Baskin and Exotic, a flamboyant polygamist and then-owner of a backstage petting zoo successful Oklahoma.

Amid nan heated fallout that later saw Exotic arrested for an alleged deed he took retired connected Baskin, he many times accused nan sanctuary proprietor of sidesplitting Lewis and feeding his assemblage to 1 of her tigers.

After Lewis was reported missing, deputies recovered his van abandoned astatine a adjacent airport, wherever he had allegedly planned to return a travel to Costa Rica.  

Police recovered nary signs of a struggle aliases humor wrong - nor did they find impervious that Lewis ever near nan country. 

He was pronounced legally dormant successful 2002, and nan lawsuit was put to rest. Baskin, nan proprietor of Big Cat Rescue, was ne'er declared a suspect. 

She later joined Howard Baskin, some of whom were featured successful nan celebrated Netflix series. 

She maintains she was misled by producers astir what nan show would beryllium about, arsenic it framed her and Exotic's feud pinch intrigue and flare.   

Her hubby Howard has frankincense ne'er done an interview, until News Channel 8 tracked him down Tuesday .   

He declined to talk astir Exotic but did speak retired astir his wife's activism that sewage her wrapped up pinch nan con successful nan first place.

'It was conscionable a horrible industry,' he said aliases roadside petting zoos for illustration nan 1 Exotic had successful Oklahoma.  

'The cubs would beryllium taken distant from their mothers astatine birth, which that's a torment for immoderate mama.'

He added that he and his woman person now sold nan spot wherever they built 'Big Cat Rescue' successful Florida's Citrus Park, and person since transferred nan animals to different facility.  

He besides touted nan 'Big Cat Rescue Public Safety Act' he and his woman are moving to walk successful Congress, which seeks to unopen down each unsanctioned petting zoos.

Exotic - who was sentenced to 22 years successful national situation successful 2019 - antecedently worked pinch lawyer John Michael Phillips to record a mobility for a caller trial.   

On July 15, 2021, a U.S. appeals tribunal ruled nan convictions for nan 2 execution attempts were wrongly treated arsenic abstracted and reduced his condemnation by a year.

On Tuesday, Exotic revealed he is not satisfied pinch that outcome, and seeking an entreaty successful nan full case.

'I’m really appealing my full case, to overturn my conviction,' he told News Channel 8 from prison.

Of nan past 5 years, he said, 'It’s jail, you know,' while letting retired a laugh.

'It’s been rough, it really has.'  

Adding really he has prostate crab and what he believes is lung cancer, he said he ne'er offered $3,000 friend Allen Glover to person Baskin killed.

Prosecutors proved this during his trial, and that he offered money to an undercover FBI typical supplier to person Baskin killed.  

Exotic continued to contradict it each happened , saying Glover made it each up to get backmost astatine him.

'In my proceedings they showed nan undercover video and Joe ne'er offered him anything,' Exotic said, referring to himself successful nan 3rd person.

'Joe conscionable yet asked a mobility retired of nan blue, to get him retired of my office.

'Well really overmuch do you charge? And he said $10,000 and if you watch nan video that played astatine my trial, past Joe says, good Joe doesn’t person $10,000.'

Exotic announced his candidacy for president arsenic a Democrat from situation past year.