ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the proliferation of Carole Baskin memes following the viral success of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness during lockdown for Covid-19 in spring 2020. Though Tiger King is a docuseries ostensibly seeking to expose the exploitative tiger industry in the US, it side-lines an animal rights focus in favor of a dramatic spectacle of rivalries between its eccentric characters. In particular, the series documents, but also fuels, a longstanding dispute between Joe Exotic, the star and ‘Tiger King’ of the series, and his nemesis, big cats tiger activist, Carole Baskin. I argue that, despite its claims for a stance of neutrality, the series creates the conditions for a sympathetic response to Joe Exotic and for the corresponding vilification of Carole Baskin. Although Tiger King is described as a true crime docuseries that explores the various crimes and misdemeanors of Joe Exotic – including the attempted murder-for-hire of Carole Baskin (for which he is currently serving 22 years in prison) – the real “true crime” mystery being offered up for cultural delectation is Exotic’s allegation that Baskin murdered her second husband, Don Lewis (who has been missing since 1997). It is this allegation that has since turned into a viral meme, where, for example, over 36.6 million and counting Tik Tok users, dance and lip sync to the lyrics: “Carole Baskin. Killed her husband, whacked him. Can’t convince me that it didn’t happen. Fed him to Tigers, they snackin’. What’s happening’. Carole Baskin.” It is impossible to say whether or not Carole Baskin killed her husband, but this chapter argues that part of the series’ success as ultimate lockdown viewing derives from how it encourages viewers to revel in the accusation. As a result, Joe Exotic’s pathological and misogynistic hatred of Baskin, as depicted to exuberant effect in the docuseries, has seeped into networked popular responses, and become a central, if problematic element, of the ‘feel-good’ vibe surrounding Tiger King as the perfect pandemic entertainment.
