Joe Exotic

Joe Exotic is the professional name of Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, an American former exotic-animal park operator and media personality from Oklahoma.

Joe Exotic is the professional name of Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, an American former exotic-animal park operator and media personality from Oklahoma. He became widely known through the Netflix series *Tiger King* and was later convicted in federal court of wildlife crimes and murder-for-hire charges.

Early life

Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage was born in Kansas in 1963 and later became known professionally as Joe Exotic. He adopted a public persona built around exotic animals, performance, and media attention.

Exotic animal park career

Joe Exotic ran the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma for nearly two decades. The park and its treatment of animals later became central to federal investigations and public controversy.

Criminal convictions

A federal jury convicted him of multiple wildlife offenses, including violations of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, as well as two counts of murder-for-hire. He received a 22-year sentence in 2020, later reduced to 21 years.

Public image and media coverage

Joe Exotic became a pop-culture figure after *Tiger King* brought his personal and legal troubles to a large global audience. The series focused on his zoo, rivalries, and the murder-for-hire case involving Carole Baskin.