Television April 24, 2020
Why Doc Antle Says Don’t Buy 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic’s Trailer Park Persona
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Doc Antle is a new household name after appearing in the Netflix hit “Tiger King.”
“Extra's” Billy Bush caught up with Doc via Skype to talk about the docuseries and Joe Exotic, as well as rumors about his own love life and appearing at the MTV VMAs with Britney Spears.
Was he pleased with the way he was depicted in the show? Antle, who owns The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, answered, “Oh, come on. I think they did some crazy stuff. I think it is a whirlwind ride, the 'Tiger King' exploded across the scene, but you know, in the very final bit of the show, they roll up some just ridiculous stuff, saying that I've somehow been raided, which is absolutely false.”
He also claims the footage of him in the Netflix special wasn't shot for “Tiger King.” “Extra” reached out to Netflix for comment, but so far we have not received a response.
“I shot a show with a guy that was showing me footage of Richard Branson and turtle conservation, and they were going to add in my tiger conservation program that I run in Sumatra. They filmed all of us for years. Then that program didn't sell and they bulk sold that — this is what they are telling me — off to Netflix.”
He explained, “There's 400 images or pieces of me in the first two episodes, every clip, everything is stuff from my old archives which I never gave them permission to use.”
Doc insisted, “They never told me there was any program involving Joe or Carol… No, I am not the guy to be involved with Joe and Carol, they live in a different world from us… and they twisted us all into it to get the drama. It's okay — we've got guys working on it.”
As for what he thinks about Joe Exotic and his trailer park persona, he said, “Joe Exotic is old Texas oil money." Billy commented, "I saw his bedroom in the documentary. It doesn't look like a lot." Antle explained, "But if you look at the equipment, the trucks, the building… this stuff he was spending money on all the time, as fast as he could. He was easily spending a couple million dollars a year to maintain what he had there.”
He also shot down the storyline that he is married to multiple women from his Myrtle Beach Safari facility. “Come on! I had nine, 12, four, six wives? I was married 25 years ago. That lady died in a car crash. [She was the] lovely mom of my two youngest children. And that's the last time I was married. I haven't married anybody else since.”
Antle clarified he's seeing three women at the moment, saying, “I am a guy that dates. I have had many girlfriends in my life. I've got some lovely girlfriends right now. I have more than one at a time, they know about each other, but it's not that I'm running a harem.”
Photos of Doc onstage with Britney Spears at the 2001 MTV VMA Awards during her infamous snake performance recently resurfaced.
He dished, “They wanted Britney to have that great moment in her song 'Slave for You'… they actually had her dancing in a cage with a big giant tiger. She's in that cage with me, she's dancing and playing and the stage clears, the smoke goes off, and she steps out of that and the tiger steps forward. Then we wrap her up in the snake and she flies around through the air. That was the finale number.”
