‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Lands in Solitary Confinement in Texas Prison

Joe Exotic is reportedly in solitary confinement where he’s serving out his sentence at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth in Texas.

According to a report from TMZ on Tuesday, April 21, Exotic, whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was placed in a Special Housing Unit at his federal prison at some point last week.

Peter Ticktin, the Tiger King star’s attorney, told the outlet that the reason for the move was due to Exotic’s social media posts. However, details remain unclear regarding what he posted that seemingly upset prison officials.

“The prison decided not to like his posts,” Ticktin told TMZ.

Exotic’s legal team hopes that he’ll be released from solitary confinement in 15 days.

Exotic, 63, is currently serving a 21-year federal prison sentence after being convicted in 2019 on two counts of murder-for-hire in a plot targeting his rival, animal rights activist Carole Baskin, along with multiple wildlife-related charges including violations of the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act.

However, Ticktin maintains that the former zoo owner is innocent.

“There are a lot of innocent people in the prison system that should not be there,” Ticktin said to TMZ. “There are a lot of innocent people in the prison system that should not be there.”

Unless he receives a pardon or a sentence reduction, Exotic’s projected to remain in federal prison until 2036.