Baskin says she only signed on for one series.
Netflix announced recently that they would be releasing a sequel series to 2020’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness later this month. The series is poised to not only go even deeper into the existing mysteries and controversies presented in the first season, but to check back in with its main players after the first season’s release, who have experienced surges in public exposure and, in some cases, wealth. However, one of the main players of the season who wasn’t especially thrilled with her portrayal is Carole Baskin, and if it was up to her, the second season wouldn’t be happening at all.
Yesterday, Baskin and her husband Howard filed a formal lawsuit against Netflix to block the release of Tiger King 2, as well as seek damages against the company. According to Baskin, when she was approached to appear in the first season, it was on the assumption that she and her tiger rescue nonprofit, Big Cat Rescue, would be portrayed as protagonists of the story. Obviously, if you’ve seen the show, that did not happen, with multiple episodes focusing heavily on the disappearance of Baskin’s previous husband and none-too-subtly implying she had something to do with it. After the show released, Baskin said she and her nonprofit received heavy negative hits to their reputation, with Baskin’s phone constantly ringing with people asking if she killed her husband.
Carole Baskin is suing Netflix for using footage of her in the upcoming “Tiger King 2” series. https://t.co/vZ2nvbM39N pic.twitter.com/aVuUYVtMHk
— Variety (@Variety) November 1, 2021
Even putting aside her personal distaste with the series, Baskin has also noted that using footage of her in the second season violates the agreement she made with the producers. Baskin said that she was approached for a “single documentary feature film,” which according to Howard, Tiger King was anything but.
“While we cannot stop Netflix and Royal Goode Productions from producing low-brow, salacious and sensational programming, we do believe that we have the right to control footage filmed of us under false pretenses,” he said.
