Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 11/22
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Joe Exotic is speaking out after the release of a second season of "Tiger King."
The 58-year-old former zoo owner shot to fame in 2020 as the subject of Netflix's "Tiger King" docuseries, which followed his rivalry with fellow big cat enthusiast Carole Baskin.
The saga concluded with the sentencing of Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldanado-Passage to over two decades in prison for his involvement in a murder-for-hire plot against Baskin, 60.
The streamer recently dropped a second season of the hit show, which features interviews from Maldanado-Passage and several others involved in the ordeal who seemingly walk back on their previous allegations that the zoo owner was guilty. He has maintained his innocence throughout both seasons.
'TIGER KING' STAR JOE EXOTIC TRANSFERRED TO FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER FOR CANCER TREATMENT
Joseph ‘Joe Exotic’ Maldonado-Passage slammed president Trump and claimed that the second season of ‘Tiger King’ proved his innocence in a letter to the New York Post. (Netflix © 2021)
The star recently wrote a lengthy letter to the New York Post, in which he asserted that former President Donald Trump disappointed "millions" when he did not grant a pardon to Maldonado-Passage.
"President Trump was a fool not to pardon me," wrote Maldonado-Passage, who once ran for president himself. "Before the election, millions of people were hoping for it as they know I’m innocent, most of this is in TK2 [‘Tiger King 2’] and it will be the same for President Biden, the world will know the truth [when the new season is released] and him and VP [Kamala] Harris ran on justice and prison reform."
'TIGER KING 2': WHAT IT'S ABOUT, WHEN IT AIRS AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
He added that his release from prison "would be in the interest of American Justice for President Biden" ahead of the holidays. He also urged for the charging of "those with perjury and other suitable charges, or the injustice is really going to cost votes in 2022 as the people wonder if this could happen to them under his watch."
The Netflix star said that he was pushed to send a letter via snail mail to the outlet as federal prison employees have made it difficult for him to communicate with reporters via phone and email.
Maldonado-Passage is currently serving in prison for his involvemnt in a murder-for-hire plot. (Santa Rosa County Jail via AP)
"For 3 years they ‘the Government’ has kept me in isolation, blocked numbers and reporters from my phone, rejected any email that tells the truth to my attorneys, kept me from talking to the press and monitored every legal call I’ve had," Maldonado-Passage alleged.
He added: "Now take the standard of care for a chimp cage size, diet, enrichment and compare that to the care of a human in city, county, state or federal. America requires and cares more about the care of a chimp in a zoo then your family member in jail. How is this possible? Look it up."
‘TIGER KING’ JOE EXOTIC SAYS HE HAS ‘AGGRESSIVE’ PROSTATE CANCER: ‘SAY A PRAYER EVERYONE’
Since his imprisonment, Maldonado-Passage has even teamed up with Jeff Lowe, the former co-owner of his now-disbanded zoo, to take on Baskin and the feds head-on.
"Jeff Lowe was videotaping the agents, setting this up, rehersing [sic] their testimony and fabricating evidence the whole time and has turned it all over to my attorneys, 4 cellphones and 3 TB of hard drives," he wrote.
Maldonado-Passage has been convicted for conspiring to murder big cat enthusiast Carole Baskin. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for NightFly Entertainment)
He also pointed to would-be hitman Allen Glover's testimony that he committed perjury when he said Maldonado-Passage hired him to kill Baskin. Glover also claimed in the second season of the docuseries that he and Lowe were actually planning to kill Maldonado-Passage.
"We have sworn affidavits from Allen Glover stating he lied to the grand jury and to my jury that I done nothing," he continued. "The feds and Jeff Lowe made him say I did and he under oath admitted that he and Jeff + Lauren Lowe’s original plan was to kill me to get the zoo. And even took [my attorney] John Phillips and the producer of Netflix to Oklahoma to the zoo and showed them where he hid the murder weapon, yes the plan was to kill me and it failed so the[y] set me up to take my zoo."
Last week, Maldonado-Passage was transferred from a Texas prison to one in North Carolina where he will receive treatment for prostate cancer.
"My wish is to get out and testify to Congress about the Big Cat Safety Act and what a scam it is to create a monopoly for PETA and Dan Ashe with the [Association of Zoos and Aquariums]," he said, noting his opposition to the Association's role in certifying zoos.
Maldonado-Passage once owned a zoo in Oklahoma. He has been accused of animal cruelty. (Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images)
While Maldonado-Passage didn't have anything positive to say in regards to Trump or Biden, he did praise Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has opposed limitations on big cat ownership.
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"I was the largest breeder in the world. I know everything about their scams is why I’m the only one in jail," said the former zoo owner. "They had to kill me or shut me up. I know the truth, let me speak. Senator Ted Cruz knows the truth. I need America to be my voice!"
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Reps for Trump, Biden and the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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