Rachel Starr Defends Convicted ’Tiger King’ Figure Joe Exotic

With millions of Americans remaining under “stay at home” guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix and other streaming services have seen a surge in binge-watching. And on Netflix no show appears to have benefited more than the bizarre, disturbing but addictive docu-series Tiger King.   (For those who have not yet viewed the seven-part series, be warned, this story may contain spoilers.) Sharp-eyed porn fans, however, will have spotted a familiar face making a brief cameo in the second episode of the show: porn performer Rachel Starr, who says she has been a friend of the show’s colorful—and convicted—protagonist, exotic animal zookeeper Joe Exotic.  Exotic was convicted last year of paying a would-be hit man to travel from Oklahoma, where his zoo was located, to Florida, where the hit man was supposed to whack a self-styled animal rights activist named Carole Baskin, who had long antagonized Exotic. The Oklahoma zookeeper, who documented his own life on video prolifically, harbored a seething hatred for Baskin, and made several videos in which he threatened to, fantasized about, and even acted out killing her. But according to a story in The Dallas Observer newspaper, Starr says that she repeatedly tried to talk her friend out of his vendetta against Baskin. “I don’t believe on any level that Joe was capable of murder for hire,” Starr told the paper. “But those videos he filmed damn sure didn’t help sway the jury to think otherwise.” Starr says that she met Exotic about eight years ago, when she took part in one his promotional photo shoots, arranged by a mutual colleague. She told the Observer that she immediately became friends with the eccentric, self-described “Tiger King,” who at one point claimed to own more than 220 of the majestic cats. “This saddens me deeply, as he is one of the few people in entertainment I became very close friends with,” Starr told the paper. “I’m blessed to have him as a friend.” But she said that though she was “horrified” with Baskin’s treatment of her pal, she implored him to let it slide. But Exotic was obsessed and wouldn’t listen. He also quickly realized that his ongoing feud with Baskin was prime clickbait for his social media videos. “I believe it influenced his behavior greatly to create shocking content in the name of high views, which later was used against him in court,” Starr said. Joe Exotic was convicted on two counts of murder-for-hire, and 17 counts of abusing exotic animals. But Starr also defends him against the animal-abuse charges. “The animals were fully taken care of, above and beyond,” Starr says. “Very clean cages, quality food and lots of attention was given to them many times daily.” Photo by Joe Exotic TV YouTube Screen Capture