Netflix star Joe Exotic calls out Donald Trump for not pardoning him

Star of Netflix's Tiger King Joe Exotic has taken to Instagram to call out President Donald Trump for 'forgetting' to pardon him.

We imagine that Donald Trump is kicking back at the White House and enjoying the luxuries of his secret Diet Coke button, but on the more serious side, there are four years of hard work ahead. The returning President of the United States has already been dishing out controversial executive orders ranging from extending TikTok bans and sweeping gender rule reforms. Equally controversial have been his pardons, which included those involved in the January 6 riots and Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.

One person who's particularly vexed by the latest round of pardons is Joe Exotic.

While some might've already seen the self-professed Tiger King (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage) on Louis Theroux's America's Most Dangerous Pets (2011), the G.W. Zoo owner rose to new levels of infamy due to Netflix's Tiger King. The true crime documentary series soared to the top of the streaming service's charts due to its arrival at the start of the pandemic, and while there have been two more series, nothing will top the viral sensation of the OG.

Up there with the likes of Making a Murderer and American Murder: The Family Next Door, Tiger King is one of Netflix's best true crime documentaries and has made Joe Exotic a celebrity in his own right.

Charting the long-running dispute between Exotic and big cat conservationist Carole Baskin, it charts the events that lead to his conviction under federal murder-for-hire statutes, as well as convictions for violating the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act. Exotic was originally given a 22-year federal prison sentence in 2019, but has since seen it reduced to 21 years. He previously championed Donald Trump for a last-minute pardon at the end of his first term, even having his 'Team Tiger' charter a limousine to pick him up from the FMC Fort Worth prison.

Exotic was snubbed by Trump in 2021, and in 2025, it looks like he's been snubbed again.

The 61-year-old Tiger Team posted on Instagram, calling out the POTUS and throwing shade at the January 6 pardons.

Around 1,500 people were pardoned from their role in the January 6 riots, and sharing his thought, Exotic wrote: "If I was a crack dealer, maybe if I broke in the capital or even have been related to the Bidens. I might have gotten some relief on being in prison innocent."

He shared his views alongside a sad-looking figure crying in the rain.

The image included the words: "President Trump you forgot me... again."

Continuing his rant, Exotic referred to Leonard Peltier being given a pardon by Joe Biden on his last day in office: "Hell the guy who killed 2 FBI Agents even got a pardon today. I can’t even get a new trial based on admitted perjury testimony."

Joe Exotic isn't giving up, and in a series of posts on numerous platforms, he listed reasons he should be exonerated. "President Trump what is going on? Pardon Joe Exotic!" was followed by a lengthy plea that read: "Joe did not hurt anyone. Joe did not pay anyone. Joe had no plans to hurt anyone". He says he's "suffered for seven years behind bars being isolated, abused, and treated in ways no American should ever endure."

Trump previously said he'd 'take a look' at Exotic's case in 2020, but while the likes of rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black made the pardon list, the Tiger King wasn't among the lucky 143 during the President's first term. It's possible that Trump could pardoned Exotic later into his term, but given his latest outburst, those chances look even slimmer.