While the entire world remains in a semi-quarantine due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many people are binging shows on Netflix as a means of passing the time.
The recent social media obsession is Netflix’s “Tiger King.” Beyond the absurdity of the show itself, one of the things that got people talking was a surprise cameo from Shaquille O’Neal.
“Tiger King” tells the story of outlandish zoo owner Joe Exotic and his life in the ‘big cat’ industry. However, some of the more controversial topics in the show led people to question why O’Neal was associating with Exotic in the first place.
O’Neal recently explained his relationship with the zoo owner and what led to them meeting in the first place, according to Lisa Respers France of CNN:
“On the way we see a sign that says ‘Tiger Sanctuary,'” O’Neal recalled. “So we go in there and it’s a beautiful place and the character that was there was Exotic Joe.”
O’Neal said that he was a multi-time visitor of the zoo before realizing everything that Exotic was involved in — at which time he quickly disassociated himself:
“We went back a couple times,” O’Neal said. “Then we go back another time and we found out that he’s involved with all the stuff and then, actually, I stopped going. I had no idea all that stuff was going on.”
Considering how the story ended, it’s likely for the best that O’Neal cut his ties with Exotic. The seven-episode docu-series on Netflix has a ton of twists and turns and almost none of them are positive.
Having a relationship with somebody like that is the exact type of thing that could negatively affect a person’s image in today’s society — and rightfully so in this case.
O’Neal has always been an outlandish figure himself but in a much different and more respectable way. Luckily, O’Neal’s relationship with Exotic and the big cat world ended with just a couple visits to the zoo.