The Real Reason Carole Baskin Is Suing Netflix

Carole Baskin appeared in Netflix's "Tiger King," a show that explored the big cat industry across various zoos and sanctuaries in — and the efforts of some to put an end to the big cat trade. Baskin runs Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary located in Tampa, Florida. "Big Cat Rescue's mission is to provide the best home we can for the cats in our care, end abuse of big cats in captivity and prevent extinction of big cats in the wild," the organization's website reads. Baskin willingly agreed to take part in the first season of "Tiger King," in hopes of raising awareness about big cats and the issues surrounding the private possession of big cats and the harm in big cat trade. However, things didn't go as planned.

In 2020, Baskin slammed the series as "salacious and sensational" on the Big Cat Rescue website. She explained that the show that she thought she was participating in was pitched to her as something similar to "Blackfish," but with big cats instead of Orca whales. The show became less about the animals, and more about the people behind the animals, including Baskin, whom many fans believe had a hand in the disappearance of her husband, Don. 

With season 2 of "Tiger King" set for release on November 17, Baskin wants no part of the new series — and she's filed a lawsuit, according to TMZ. Keep reading to find out the real reason why.

In case it wasn't clear that Carole Baskin wants nothing to do with "Tiger King." According to TMZ, Baskin did not film for the second season of the show, and while footage of her appears in promos for the upcoming season, she didn't give any new interviews or film anything new for another season of the show. In the court documents, Baskin has requested that Netflix remove her from any and all footage that is set to air in the second season, stating that producers have no right to use any material that she may have supplied in the first season for this subsequent project.

Back in May, Baskin told Page Six that she had no interest in participating in another season of the hit Netflix show. "I told them to lose my number. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me," she said. According to NBC News, Baskin is trying to stop the release of "Tiger King" season 2. "While we cannot stop Netflix and Royal Goode Productions from producing low-brow, salacious and sensational programming, we do believe that we have the right to control footage filmed of us under false pretenses," Carole Baskin's husband, Howard Baskin, said in a statement. At the time of this writing, Netflix hasn't commented on the lawsuit.