Tiger King: Where Are They Now?

What's become of our favourite redneck tiger owners?

By James Metcalfe /

2020 is turning out to be a strange year.

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In a world filled with so much chaos and uncertainty, you would have been forgiven for thinking that a simple documentary on the crazy world of redneck exotic animal owners could have slipped through everyone's radars. Instead, Netflix's Tiger King has established itself as the biggest show in the world and maybe even the most successful documentary in the history of television.

Whether it be via followup interviews with the show's stars, or memes and references across the big wide world of the internet, Joe Exotic and co. have become some of the most interesting and famous people on the planet. From three-way open relationships, having an arm mauled off by a tiger, to crazy murder-for-hire plots, the show delivers shocking moment after shocking moment across its run time, showing off all the scheming and plotting rife in the world of big cats.

With so many colourful and charismatic individuals, it's only natural to want to know what all of these cool cats and kittens are up to these days, and exactly how their lives have been changed by this staggering show.

10. James Garretson

As well as being a great looking guy on a jet-ski, James Garretson is Tiger King's ultimate pantomime villain. The confidential informant behind the ins and outs of Joe, GW Park and the FBI, Garretson plays a huge role in helping the investigating force assemble the evidence they need in order to make an arrest.

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Born, raised and living in Oklahoma, Garretson knew Joe for over twenty years before the events of the film. A friend of the park because of their shared love for big cats, this former strip club owner also had a history of zoo ownership, dealing with GW Park a number of times.

As Garretson said: "It comes down to Joe was killing a lot of animals so people can call me whatever they want to call me. I feel I did the right thing. If you're an animal lover, you're not going to call me a snitch."

Garretson testified against Joe during his trial and continues to live out in Oklahoma. Still a keen entrepreneur in the world of business, he owns home goods store, Tiger Liquidation.

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