Carole Baskin Tells Reddit What She Thinks Happened to Don Lewis
Carole Baskin rose to fame in 2020 when Netflix released Tiger King, a documentary series that became an overnight success. Baskin has been a critic of Netflix and the series since, claiming the documentary painted her in a negative light. She even asked a judge to block the release of Tiger King 2, claiming that Netflix has no right to use video footage of her and her second husband, Howard Baskin. Baskin isn’t shying away from the spotlight entirely, though. Following the release of her own show Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight, the animal rights activist took to Reddit to answer fan questions. She didn’t ignore the hard questions either. She even shared what she thinks happened to her first husband, Don Lewis, whose disappearance has led to much speculation about Baskin.
The disappearance of Don Lewis became a point of interest during ‘Tiger King’
While Tiger King might have been about Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin emerged as a point of interest to fans. That makes sense. After all, she’s an outspoken activist, was directly involved in Joe Exotic’s dramatics, and there have been some pretty mysterious events in her life. Fans of the series honed in on the disappearance and presumed death of Don Lewis, Baskin’s first husband, which was covered in the third episode of the docuseries. Lewis disappeared without a trace in August 1997. His car was found at an airstrip, but there was no sign of the businessman. He has not been seen or heard from since and was declared legally dead in 2002.
Lewis’ children accused Baskin of killing Lewis and feeding him to her tigers. Joe Exotic theorized that Baskin buried Lewis in a septic tank. Baskin vehemently denies both allegations. Fans have several theories, as does Tiger King. Baskin has a theory of her own, too.
Carole Baskin shared her own theory about his disappearance on Reddit
Baskin took to Reddit to promote her new show Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight. In an AMA, the activist got real about her life before and since Tiger King. In fact, no topic seemed to be off-limits. One user asked Baskin to share her theory about Don Lewis’ disappearance, and she was more than happy to tell fans what she thought.
Baskin argued that Lewis’ disappearance was directly connected to his enthusiasm for ultralight aircraft. Baskin said, “I believe Don crashed a small experimental plane or ultralight into the Gulf for a number of reasons.” She explained that Lewis regularly flew over the water but was unlicensed to do so. She also revealed that he often flew without a flight plan, stayed at a low altitude, and generally conducted his flights in secret.
Several Tiger King fans have suggested that Lewis was involved in illegal activities. Baskin has never responded to the theory, but the trailer for the second season of Tiger King promises to delve further into the matter.
What is ‘Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight’ about?
Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight is a documentary series that lets Baskin tell her side of the story. Airing on discovery+, the show consists of sitdown chats with Baskin about her life and, perhaps most importantly, about Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic. Nothing is off-limits in the series, either. Baskin will further delve into the disappearance of Don Lewis and the murder-for-hire plot that landed Joe Exotic in jail.
The series premiered just a week before Netflix will release Tiger King 2. The streaming provider promises even more twists and turns in their upcoming project, too.
