‘If it’s stage three or four I am going to let it take me’:Tiger King’s Joe Exotic reveals his prostate cancer may have spread to pelvis and stomach in prison
- The 58-year-old former zoo owner said that he has not had any treatment in jail since his diagnosis months ago and fears that the cancer has spread
- Exotic explained that he was recently forced to undergo a CT scan last week and the results were not encouraging
- The Netflix star said that he hopes to be taken to a specialist medical center for ‘many tests’ including a ‘biopsy of my prostate and bladder, colonoscopy and endoscopy’
- Exotic says that he will refuse medical treatment if the disease has progressed to stage three or four
- Back in May he took to Twitter to share his cancer diagnosis
- In his social media post, Exotic wrote: ‘My PSA count came back very high for prostate cancer. The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in’
- Exotic once again pleaded for a pardon from President Joe Biden in the wake of his illness, but claimed he didn’t ‘want anyone’s pity’
- He was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in his plot to kill his rival Carole Baskin in 2019
- Exotic is currently serving a 22 year-sentence in prison
- The Kansas native requested a pardon from one-term President Donald Trump back in September, sending him a handwritten letter
Tiger King’s Joe Exotic has revealed that his prostate cancer may have spread to his stomach and pelvis and prefers to die if it is stage three or four as he criticized the US criminal justice system over lack of medical treatment for prisoners.
The 58-year-old former zoo owner said that he has not had any treatment in jail – as he serves a 22 year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas – since his diagnosis months ago and fears that the cancer has spread.
On Monday morning, Exotic – real name Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage – told The Sun : ‘I have been waiting for a colonoscopy and endoscopy since October. Medical treatment in a prison is worse than at any humane society for dogs.’
The American media personality was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in his plot to kill nemesis and Big Cat Rescue owner, Carole Baskin in 2019.
Tough times: Tiger King’s Joe Exotic has revealed that his prostate cancer may have spread to his stomach and pelvis and prefers to die if it is stage three or four as he criticized the US criminal justice system over lack of medical treatment for prisoners
The case was the focus of highly-popular 2020 Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.
Exotic explained that he was recently forced to undergo a CT scan last week and the results were not encouraging.
He said: ‘They are concerned it is in my stomach and pelvis. I have not had any treatment or anything since May. I puke when I pee – the pain is that bad.
‘I’m losing weight all the time and the pain in my hip and pelvis hurts. I limp to walk. And my stomach has hurt for over a year.’
The Netflix star said that he hopes to be taken to a specialist medical center for ‘many tests’ including a ‘biopsy of my prostate and bladder, colonoscopy and endoscopy.’
‘Medical treatment in a prison is worse than at any humane society for dogs’: The 58-year-old former zoo owner said that he has not had any treatment in jail – as he serves a 22 year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas – since his diagnosis months ago and fears that the cancer has spread as he talked to The Sun on Monday morning
However, Exotic says that he will refuse medical treatment if the disease has progressed to stage three or four.
He explained: ‘When we find out where and how bad it is I will decide if I am going to do treatment. If it’s stage three or four I am going to let it take me.’
Exotic also criticized the US criminal justice system over lack of medical treatment for prisoners as he accused prison doctors of ‘not giving a s***.’
He told the publication: ‘This is crazy how they put people in here and just let you die.
‘The things that I’ve seen and the dead people I’ve seen wheeled out of here is outrageous and it’s time that our president and our politicians hear the truth.’
Back in May he took to Twitter to share his cancer diagnosis and once again pleaded for a pardon from President Joe Biden in the wake of his illness.
Diagnosis: Back in May he took to Twitter to share his cancer diagnosis and once again pleaded for a pardon from President Joe Biden in the wake of his illness: ‘My PSA count came back very high for prostate cancer. The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in’
In his social media post, Exotic wrote: ‘John Phillips [Joe’s lawyer] has received my medical records from FMC Fort Worth and my PSA count came back very high for prostate cancer.
‘The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in. My body is tired, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat.’
He added that he didn’t ‘want anyone’s pity’ but was instead keen for a pardon from ‘President Biden, VP Harris and the Attorney General’, and he accused the police and the Department of Justice of corruption.
Exotic went on: ‘Make this right and sign that pardon that Trump left behind so I can go home and get proper medical care and proper food.
‘Thank you for all the love and support from all over the world. I love you all. Wish me luck…#JusticeForJoeExotic #TigerKing #JoeExotic @JohnPhillips.’
The Kansas native requested a pardon from one-term President Donald Trump back in September, sending him a handwritten letter, later suing the Justice Department in December as a last-ditch effort – but this failed.
He most recently hired a new legal team, as they plan to use unaired Tiger King footage to push for a new trial.
Jailed: Exotic was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in his plot to kill nemesis and Big Cat Rescue owner, Carole Baskin in 2019 – and sentenced to 22 years in prison
Attorney John Phillips of Phillips & Hunt, who previously represented the family of Baskin’s missing husband Don Lewis, made the announcement in a video on Joe’s Twitter.
He said: ‘We are honored to announce that Joe has retained our firm. We’re going to seek a new trial, and justice in the criminal and civil courts.’
Joe has also promised some juicy secrets in Tiger King: The Official Tell-All Memoir, which is set to set to be published in November.
He told E! News of the book: ‘It’s going to be a truth-tell book… Everybody that’s ever done anything good, it’s going to be in there and anybody that’s got bones in your closet, you better look out.’
His nemesis: Carole Baskin is pictured with husband Howard at Big Cat Rescue
In April, Exotic claimed he has been ‘kidnapped for a political agenda’ in a furious audio recording as he continues to push for a presidential pardon.
In an audio recording for the Social Media Superstar Awards and obtained by The Sun, the former zoo owner said his conviction cast ‘a black cloud over our entire justice system in America’ and claimed he had ‘compassion for zoo animals and humanity.
He said: ‘What has been done to me puts a black cloud over our entire justice system in America and our leaders of this great country should be ashamed that our own Department of Justice can take part in kidnapping me for a political agenda to only end big cats in America.
‘The real guy who has compassion and love for zoo animals, for the homeless, and for the sick, but most of all for humanity as a whole.
‘I intend to use my new platform to speak for justice and prison reform and speak for the thousands of men and women in this country who have been wrongfully convicted or over sentenced in this country for simply no reason other than for profit.’
Exotic said his conviction was a ‘conspiracy’ and an ‘obstruction of justice’ – as he continues to push for a presidential pardon, this time from President Biden.
He continued: ‘To all of the people in the streets of America trying to end racism; slavery is very much alive in America, folks. It is camouflaged by prison walls.
‘Please ask President Biden to make history and sign every pardon on his desk and every compassionate release at the beginning of his term, not at the end.’
Presidential pardon: The Kansas native requested a pardon from one-term President Donald Trump back in September, sending him a handwritten letter, later suing the Justice Department in December as a last-ditch effort (pictured in August, 2013)
WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?
How many people does it kill?
More than 11,800 men a year – or one every 45 minutes – are killed by the disease in Britain, compared with about 11,400 women dying of breast cancer.
It means prostate cancer is behind only lung and bowel in terms of how many people it kills in Britain.
In the US, the disease kills 26,000 men each year.
Despite this, it receives less than half the research funding of breast cancer and treatments for the disease are trailing at least a decade behind.
How quickly does it develop?
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs someone has it for many years, according to the NHS.
If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, a policy of ‘watchful waiting’ or ‘active surveillance’ may be adopted.
Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated in the early stages.
But if it diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, then it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving symptoms.
Thousands of men are put off seeking a diagnosis because of the known side effects from treatment, including erectile dysfunction.
Tests and treatment
Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools only just beginning to emerge.
There is no national prostate screening programme as for years the tests have been too inaccurate.
Doctors struggle to distinguish between aggressive and less serious tumours, making it hard to decide on treatment.
Men over 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test which gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk.
But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result are usually given a biopsy which is also not foolproof.
Scientists are unsure as to what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and a lack of exercise are known risks.
Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK’s specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecanceruk.org
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