The Real Reason Carole Baskin Refused To Sign Away The Rights To Her Story

While particular subjects of the 2020 Netflix hit docuseries "Tiger King" have made headlines this year for behavior ranging from the unseemly to the downright illegal, it seems Carole Baskin, one of the show's more unscathed-yet-divisive figures, has by all appearances continued to flourish. Following her stint on the reality dance competition "Dancing With the Stars," it seems that the founder of Big Cat Rescue has her hand in a number of projects. There's one, however, that she seemingly wants nothing to do with: the upcoming scripted Peacock adaptation of the original "Joe Exotic: Tiger King" podcast and Netflix's "Tiger King," which has yet to secure an official release date, per Elle. 

The new, fictive iteration of the series will purportedly focus primarily on the rivalry between Baskin and Joe "Exotic" Maldonado-Passage, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to hire a hitman to murder Baskin, per The New York Times. But it seems that Baskin herself has gone out of her way to avoid any involvement in the scripted show. 

And according to a June 17 report published by Metro, Baskin has gone as far as to refuse to sell the rights to her life story. So, what did Baskin have to say about it? Scroll down below to find out more.

Carole Baskin, who will be played by Kate McKinnon (pictured above) in the upcoming limited series, stated in a recent interview with Metro that she was approached by members of the new adaptation's creative team about its development. "The people at Wondery [from the original podcast series] came out to me and said they're going to do a scripted series with Kate McKinnon, and they asked me if I'd sign over my life's rights to it," Baskin recounted, an offer which she ultimately turned down. 

Per Baskin, the reasons were twofold. Her refusal stemmed from the negative reception she first encountered following the release of the "Tiger King" docuseries in 2020, as well as the fact that her "life isn't done yet." She said to Metro, "I said, 'No, my life isn't done yet, when I get done, when I fix this problem, then maybe I'll sign my life rights over but not until then.'"

To wit, Baskin has a lot on her plate. In addition to running her Big Cat Rescue and making appearances on shows like "Dancing With the Stars," she's set to appear on a new short television series set to premiere on the U.K. network ITV. Per a recent interview Baskin gave on BBC Radio 1 (via NME), the show will be about "going after the bad guys and bringing them to justice," ostensibly within the sphere of animal rights activism.