<p id=”par-1_108″>In 2020, a captive audience, homebound by the pandemic, went wild over the story of <em>Tiger King</em> on Netflix and the story of Joe Exotic as it unfolded almost in real time. Nearly six years later, the main players in the wild story have largely moved on, though not all updates have been positive. Carole Baskin shut down her sanctuary, for example, and an associate of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/who-is-joe-exotic-and-what-is-his-net-worth.html/”>Joe Exotic</a> was killed in a tiger attack earlier this year. That has left us curious about Joe Exotic and how he’s faring in prison. Joe Exotic’s release date isn’t actually all that far off, considering why he is actually in jail.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-is-the-focus-of-tiger-king-in-jail”>Why is the focus of ‘Tiger King’ in jail?</h2>
<p id=”par-2_66″>Joe Exotic landed in federal prison for <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/tiger-king-joe-exotic-went-to-jail-for-more-than-one-crime.html/”>a murder-for-hire plot</a> against Carole Baskin, his animal rights nemesis. Baskin and her online supporters campaigned against Joe Exotic, who was running a traveling, for-profit zoo. Baskin worked ot have hosting facilities at the zoo. After losing several bookings, Joe Eoxtic retaliated against Baskin, rebranding his touring business to mimic Baskin’s animal rescue, both in name and in logo.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-large” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1201″ height=”675″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=1024&h=576&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Carole Baskin kneels on the ground with a lion behind her. She’s wearing a pink floral print shirt and a flower crown.” class=”wp-image-2476882″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg 1201w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=640&h=360 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=768&h=432 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=1024&h=576 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=107&h=60 107w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Carole-Baskin-1.jpeg?w=150&h=84 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Carole Baskin from Netflix’s ‘Tiger King |. Netflix</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_56″>Things escalated legally when Baskin sued Joe Exotic for trademark infringement. That’s when he hired someone to kill the animal rights activist. At his trial, prosecutors proved that Joe Exotic paid an associate to kill Baskin. In January 2020, he was sentenced to 22 years behind bars; the sentence was reduced to 21 years in 2022.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-when-is-joe-exotic-s-release-date”>When is Joe Exotic’s release date?</h2>
<p id=”par-4_72″>While Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years behind bars in 2020, he won’t actually serve that time. Sentencing errors reduced his time by an entire year, and he is expected to complete only about 80% of that reduced prison term. As of today, Joe Exotic’s release date is set for March 2036. According to <a href=”https://www.bop.gov/”>the Federal Bureau of Prisons</a>, he is currently housed at a medical facility in Fort Worth, Texas.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe title='”Joe Exotic” seeking a new trial and early release from prison’ width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/n1BFLseRK5U?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/reason-carole-baskin-sold-tiger-king-joe-exotics-gw-zoo.html/”>
The Reason Carole Baskin Sold ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic’s GW Zoo so Quickly and for so Little </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-5_76″>There are several federal prisons that specialize in housing and caring for sick inmates. Joe Exotic is housed at one of those facilities due to<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/where-tiger-king-joe-exotic-serving-21-year-prison-sentence.html/”> CVID and prostate cancer</a>. CVID is an immune deficiency that leaves the former big cat owner susceptible to infections and autoimmune troubles. The specialized facility ensures he receives treatment for his medical issues. He will be 73 at the time of his release, assuming he leaves prison in 2026 as expected.</p>