Tiger King star Joe Exotic's niece claims he's "100 times worse" in real life

From Digital Spy

Tiger King is pretty much all viewers can talk about since it landed on Netflix last month.

Star of the show Joe Exotic has been a particular conversation point, thanks to his colourful love life and feud with Carole Baskin.

But now, Joe's niece has spoken about their relationship, claiming that he is "100 times worse" than the show makes out.

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Chealsi Putman, who's the daughter of Joe's younger sister, told the The Daily Mail: "You can see glimpses of his evil persona but in the real-life Joe is 100 times worse. I want people to know who the Real Joe Exotic is."

She claimed that she worked at Joe's zoo on and off from 1999 until 2017, and spoke about some of the behaviour she saw.

"I've personally witnessed Joe spray a tiger with a fire extinguisher, not out of a safety or for a life saving reason, but because the tiger didn't react the way Joe had wanted it to," she said.

Putman also claims that Joe, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, sold baby tigers and monkeys.

Photo credit: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock
Photo credit: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

She believes that he froze tiger cubs that died and sold them to taxidermists.

"Over the years there must have been at least 10 tiger cubs that he froze. I have no idea what happened to them, they would just disappear," she said. There is no evidence to support these allegations.

Putman also said the series glossed over Joe having a son named Brandon Chappell following a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Kim.

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Related: Tiger King "reunion" episode in the works, according to Joe Exotic's husband

"Joe was in and out of Brandon’s life when he was growing up, at one point just a few years ago Brandon and his then wife, both worked at the zoo with Joe," Putman said.

"Joe would go around telling everyone this was his son, he made no secret about it. Brandon was even in a few scenes in the Netflix show."

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is streaming now on Netflix.

Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.

Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now.

You Might Also Like