Joe Exotic Slams Celebrity DUIs From Prison

From behind bars, “Tiger King” Joe Exotic is calling out high-profile celebrities for failing to serve as positive role models.

In a phone interview on April 2 with The Dallas Express, the imprisoned former zoo operator, whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, criticized stars like Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears amid their recent legal troubles.

“I don’t understand why they can’t set examples,” Exotic said, referencing recent legal troubles involving celebrities. “They all need to start setting some examples.”

Woods and Spears were recently arrested for driving under the influence, while body camera footage from Timberlake‘s 2024 arrest has now been released.

The comments come as Exotic continues to seek clemency from President Donald Trump after the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear his appeal, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Exotic said his legal team is pursuing additional filings while also appealing directly to the White House.

“I’ve got a clemency on the desk at the White House,” Exotic said, adding that prison officials told him an inquiry had been made about his status. However, White House officials told The Dallas Express that no such request had been received and that the President is the ultimate authority on clemency decisions.

Exotic, 63, also cited his health as part of his appeal, saying he is battling two forms of cancer and recently learned his prostate cancer may have returned.

Beyond his legal fight, Exotic used the interview with DX to outline a broader vision for his future, one that includes public service, prison reform, and what he described as an “America first” approach to policy.

“I would,” Exotic said when asked if he would consider running for office again. He previously mounted bids for President and governor of Oklahoma.

If elected, Exotic said he would prioritize overhauling the federal prison system, which he repeatedly described as broken.

“The first thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to get some staff that care about fixing this system,” he said. “We have to get some of these people out of prison that are nonviolent… and make room for the people that are violent.”

He also said he wants to testify before Congress about prison conditions, arguing that incarceration often fails to rehabilitate inmates and instead exposes them to drugs and corruption.

Exotic pointed to his husband, Jorge Marquez Flores, whose relationship with him was previously detailed by The Dallas Express, including their planned prison marriage and subsequent deportation. Exotic said Flores developed a drug addiction while incarcerated and is now struggling in Mexico.

“More people become addicts in here than come here as addicts,” Exotic said, blaming the prison system for worsening substance abuse issues.

If given a platform in public office, Exotic said he would push for reforms aimed at reducing nonviolent incarceration, improving oversight of prison staff, and addressing what he described as systemic corruption.

He also criticized current immigration enforcement practices inside prisons, claiming many inmates are nonviolent offenders who could be deported rather than housed at taxpayer expense.

On foreign policy, Exotic framed his “America first” stance as a call to focus resources domestically rather than abroad.

“Why are we not concentrating on our problems in America first?” he said, criticizing current U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts.

Despite his criticisms, Exotic said he hopes to work constructively within the system if released. He reiterated plans to return to charity work, including supporting Operation Smile, which provides surgeries for children with cleft conditions.

“I have a goal to fix 5,000 little kids’ faces,” he said.

Exotic is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for a murder-for-hire plot targeting rival Carole Baskin, along with wildlife-related offenses. He said his projected release date is 2030.

There is no longer parole in the federal system for most cases, leaving clemency and pardon as two of the remaining means he could use to leave prison before completing his sentence.