The recorded livestream can still be viewed online, if you're willing to pay from $3.99 to $4.99 in the US, and varying by country. he reflected in the docuseries. ET. He explained that because ofthese strange things he allegedly witnessed while working with Joe, he can't even be mad that Netflix made a project like the one he initially wanted to make. "Tiger King" is currently available to stream on Netflix. In addition to getting convicted on two counts of murder-for-hire, Exotic was also found guilty of eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, according to. Netflix's Tiger King: 10 Most Amazing Outfits Not Worn By Joe Exotic. "It was kind of a joke with one of my producers that I would go out in a blaze of glory and the world would see it.". Kirkham also described the footage he captured that was later famously burned, per the Netflix series: If I were to let the video out that I have shot of [Maldonado-Passage] killing animals on this park, of [Maldonado-Passage] tricking people by taking in their animals, [Maldonado-Passage] would probably go to jail.. Kirkham was born in Oklahoma in 1958. He hasn't been able to escape the popularity of the show there. On Tiger King, he co-starred with Mario Tabraue. Kirkham briefly discussed that much-awaited new Netflix episode that dropped on Sunday, which is called The Tiger King and I, and which is hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale. He was in fact high. The couple lives a happy married life. Kirkham went days without sleep during this time. Kirkham is Facebook friends with Baskin. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness Episode 4 Recap: King For A Day. As a well-known producer, Kirkham linked up with Maldonado-Passage in the hopes of making a reality show about the "Tiger King.". Rick Kirkham lives a very normal life with his family in the US. Joe Exotic's war with Carole Baskin heats up and he finds himself in court and owing Carole a million dollars. In 1996, Kirkham was fired fromInside Editionbecause of his addiction. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line. Inside Joe Exotic's Wild Homemade Music Videos. However, Kirkham's cocaine use eventually caused him to be fired from Inside Edition and subsequent jobs, and divorced from his first wife. His father was also a writer and his mother was a housewife. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. profile. [1] After graduating college, Kirkham got his first job; a crime reporter at a Las Vegas NBC affiliate. He is well-known in the country for his Netflix show named Tiger King. Kirkhams addiction couldnt be eradicated as he struggled to overcome it. The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." Kirkham began to speak publicly about his drug use to young adults. He took over 46 boxes of film and 3,200 videotapes of footage and had them made into the documentaryT.V. He started writing at a very early age. Kirkham's own house inexplicably .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}burned down just six months later, killing his dog. A filmmaker, Kirkham recorded much ofhis addiction on camera. 2023 E! According toKirkhams Facebook profile, he is currently living in Bodo, Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter for RealReels. "Joe by going to jail may actually have helped the wild animals after all," he said. Delivered on weekdays. While he has already appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007, long before Tiger King, Kirkham has taken the opportunity to improve his public profile after Netflixs docuseries went viral. Kristian has a daughter from her previous relationship. Katie Dupere is an editor and writer in New York City specializing in identity, internet culture, social good, lifestyle and beauty topics. Investigators never determined who started the fire, and Maldonado-Passage denied any involvement. Kirkham worked on A Reason to Live and The Frozen Theater (2008). Since appearing on Tiger King, Rick has enjoyed public attention as well. Rick Kirkham is a former television reporter. "[8] Kirkham also claimed that things were "a hell of a lot worse" than what's depicted in Tiger King; ""[Watching Tiger King], you kinda had a little bit of a heart for the guy, but you really didn't realize or get to see how evil he really could be, not only to animals, but to people. During his tenure at the zoo, Kirkham witnessed Exotic's erratic behaviour towards his animals, and recalled a time he witnessed him promising a woman he'd care of her horse, only to immediately kill it. "I knew that I had sold out my own soul," Kirkham says, and that "it really messed with my head. He hasnt been able to escape the popularity of the show there. Zoo by various media personalities. In 1996, Kirkham was fired fromInside Editionbecause of his addiction. In March 2020, Netflix debuted what might be its most shocking (and bingeworthy) true crime series to date. He proposed to her back in September 2017, and the two got married in 2018. His desire to be near a recording camera all the time, as shown in Tiger King, was intuitive to him, as he had started recording his life daily with a video camera at 14. He has recently been part of a Dplay documentary called Surviving Joe Exotic. As you know, Dplay is a part of the Discovery Channel group, and Kirkhams involvement has been financially beneficial to the journalist. . Tiger King (subtitled in marketing as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness for its first season, Tiger King 2 for its second season and Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story for its third season) is an American true crime documentary streaming television series about the life of former zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic. Furthermore, Exotic alleged that Baskin offered Kirkham $20,000 to burn down the studio. But before he was ever arrested on the heinous charges, Exotic talked regularly about wanting Baskin dead often on shows Kirkham helped produce. "It really was a rough time in my life. The irony of the docu-series, Kirkham said, is that you can't tell how scared Joe Exotic was of his own tigers. In the course of my year, he walked up to a tiger he didn't like and just shot it in the head. Before Rick was married to Kristin, he first got married in the 90s, which was when he was working for Inside Edition. CNET's interview with Joel McHale where he discusses Community and Tiger King, 9 things you didn't know about Netflix's insane hit show, 7 ways to get more of Netflix's wildly popular documentary, President Trump will 'take a look' at pardoning Tiger King Joe Exotic, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. At one point during this stint, Kirkham interviewed then-president George H.W. He appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 to talk about his addiction, and clips of his video diary were shown. Kirkham started working as a producer at RealReels in 1999 where he still works, according to his LinkedIn. He is married to his girlfriend, Kristin E Rosy Kirkham, since April 13, 2018. I cried because all of our footage was in that studio and I hadn't backed up anything outside the studio.. In addition to getting convicted on two counts of murder-for-hire, Exotic was also found guilty of eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, according to a statement from The United States Attorneys Office Western District of Oklahoma. His attorney did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. "In my case, I gotta live with what I did.". But soon, his continued cocaine use caused his professional and personal life to crumble. "He'd pull out a gun and shoot right through the walls of the studio. So when the fire happened, Kirkham saidthat was the final straw for him. He is an animal lover and treats them like humans. We have got you covered. ", On June 2, 2020, Discovery ID channel released a one-hour show called "The Truth Behind Joe Exotic: The Rick Kirkham Story", where he discussed his life, two marriages and move to Norway. Rick Kirkham is on Facebook. Still, justthe man's bravado alone adds an extra layer of intrigue,certainly when the docuseries reveals thatKirkham's studio burned to the ground less than a week after a confrontation with Joe. from The United States Attorneys Office Western District of Oklahoma. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. But he also began smoking crack during this time. He then went on speak publicly about his drug use to young adults, and advocate for sobriety. Erik Cowie. Carole Baskin and Kirkham are Facebook friends. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He is an ardent follower of Jesus Christ and belongs to the Christian religion. There is no information about Rick Kirkhams height and weight. Then he took off to Las Vegas to become a crime reporter at an NBC affiliate, according to ABC News. Maldonado-Passage was, however, convicted in federal court of two counts of murder for hirethough the hitagainst Carole Baskindid not go throughalong with a number of charges around the animals he kept, includingnine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. Naturally, you might be wondering how much Rick Kirkham is worth. And Kirkham noted that Joe's rival Carole Baskin, big-cat trainer Doc Antle, and of course the imprisoned Joe himself didn't participate in Sunday's episode. "(Netflix) sent out iPads to everyone," Kirkham said on the livestream, noting that he has his own TV studio in his Norway home and was able to film himself. Upon hearing about the fire, Kirkham dropped to his knees and cried, and left the zoo not long afterwards. In that same interview, Kirkham shared that Maldonado-Passage was a very evil guy to the animals and the people that worked for him. 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