Two years after Netflix’s “Tiger King” swept the nation just as COVID struck, confining viewers to their homes and televisions, comes Peacock’s fictionalized take on the events that took place between Big Cat wrangler Joe Exotic and arch-nemisis Carole Baskin.
Peacock’s series — which is based on the Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” hosted and reported by Robert Moor — focuses more on Baskin’s point of view in the story, while “Tiger King” centered Joe Exotic. But to bring the story to life, a cadre of familiar faces fill the roles of the personalities “Tiger King” fans came to love (or love to hate).
Below we’ve rounded up a complete “Joe vs. Carole” cast and character guide for the show, which is now streaming on Peacock.
Joe Exotic (John Cameron Mitchell)
Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as “Joe Exotic,” anchored the Netflix series. The tiger-breeder ran a big cat zoo in Oklahoma, which he founded on land he bought from a settlement his family won when his brother died from injuries inflicted in a car accident. Exotic and his brother shared a love of animals, so Exotic dedicated his zoo to his brother’s memory. What brought the spotlight on both Exotic and Baskin was Exotic’s arrest in 2020 after failing to carry out a murder-for-hire.
He’s played in the Peacock series by John Cameron Mitchell of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” fame.
Carole Baskin (Kate McKinnon)
Said murder-for-hire targeted Exotic’s nemesis Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, a nonprofit sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. Baskin takes her love for cats and fuses it into her animal shelter where she supports cats being outside of bars. Baskin doesn’t breed cats, and eventually she takes an anti-breeding stance that leads her to clash with Joe Exotic.
“SNL” favorite Kate McKinnon brings Carole Baskin to life in the TV show.
Travis Maldonado (Nat Wolff)
Travis Maldonado was one of Joe Exotic’s husbands. He shot himself in 2017, leaving Joe grieving and fueling his rage toward Baskin. He’s played in the show by Nat Wolff, whose credits range from “Hereditary” to “Death Note.”
Howard Baskin (Kyle Maclachlan)
Howard Basin is Carole Baskin’s current husband, who helps her run Big Cat Rescue. Baskin’s previous husband Don Lewis funded Big Cat Rescue’s opening in 1990, but then he went missing (read: Lewis’ daughters from a previous marriage think Baskin killed Lewis and fed him to her tigers).
“Twin Peaks” and “Sex and the City” alum Kyle MacLachlan brings Howard to life.
John Finaly (Sam Keeley)
John Finlay was another of Joe Exotic’s husbands, and the trailer even shows both Finlay and Maldonado marrying Joe at the same wedding. He’s played in the show by Sam Keeley (“Anthropoid”).
Jeff Lowe (Dean Winters)
Jeff Lowe, Exotic’s former business partner, is played by “30 Rock” alum and Allstate commercials frontman Dean Winters.
