Hey all you cool cats and kittens, can you believe it’s been one year since Tiger King premiered?
Yes, Netflix’s docuseries about zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic and his intense rivalry with Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin dropped on March 20, 2020, providing a much-needed distraction at the start of our collective coronavirus-induced quarantine.
It was a fast and furious ride with Tiger King, which ran for seven episodes, one special and approximately 8 million tweets and memes. In the wake of the roaring phenomenon, several scripted series were ordered—including one starring Kate McKinnon for a UCP project, and another with Nicolas Cage tackling he role of Joe Exotic. Baskin would go on to land a slot on Dancing With the Stars, despite rampant online speculation that she played a her role in the disappearance of her first husband, Don Lewis. Joe, still serving his 22-year prison sentence, inked a deal to pen a tell-all memoir (or should we say mem-rawwwr?).
Oh, and celebrities went absolutely wild for the show, not even bothering to wait for Halloween to break out the leopard print, crop tops and eyeliner to dress up as Joe Exotic or don a floral headband to deliver their best impression of Baskin.
Tiger King fashion was officially a capital-T Thing. What a moment in time, right?