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If you thought you’d get to catch up on all things Tiger King before something else happened, think again. The Netflix docuseries has more twists and turns than a roller coaster (and it’s still going). It’s no wonder fans can’t get enough of Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), his motley crew, and Carole Baskin theories. Now, there’s someone else speaking on Maldonado-Passage’s behalf — adult actress, Rachell Starr — and she claims the series is not the truth.

Who is Rachel Starr and how does she know ‘Joe Exotic’?

Tiger King
Joe Exotic | Netflix

As if Tiger King wasn’t wild enough, adult actress, Rachel Starr, chimed in with her opinion. She revealed how the series represented her friend, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic). She appears briefly in the second episode of the seven-part series.

Starr’s photo is on Maldonado-Passage’s Instagram page, where she’s tagged. He originally called her his “best friend,” but in other photos, he deems her as his “sister.”

Starr is not Maldonado-Passage’s biological sister. She claims the two have known each other around eight years when, “a mutual colleague of theirs asked her to do a photo shoot with him in Wynnewood,” the Dallas Observer reported.

The two hit it off “within the first 10 minutes,” and have been close ever since. The outlet added Starr has visited Maldonado-Passage “numerous times a year over many years of knowing him.”

Starr’s influence on Maldonado-Passage wasn’t enough to pull him back from his feelings on Baskin.

Starr told Maldonado-Passage not to seek revenge on Carole Baskin

Following Tiger King’s release, mass hysteria has perpetuated theories regarding Maldonado-Passage’s nemesis, Carole Baskin. Viewers have major opinions on whether or not Baskin had anything to do with her second husband Don Lewis’s disappearance.

Due to the popularity of Tiger King and public interest in all things Baskin, the 1997 case has been reopened. The series doesn’t reveal what each “star” believes in terms of Baskin’s innocence. However, Maldonado-Passage has been outspoken in his belief that Baskin murdered Lewis and “fed him to the tigers.”

Starr said she has firsthand experience regarding the longtime feud between Baskin and Maldonado-Passage. She admitted she felt “horrified” at Baskin’s treatment towards her friend. She even advised Maldonado-Passage not to react or seek revenge.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t listen and was consumed with his following on social media growing and going viral with high view count,” she said. “I believe it influenced his behavior greatly to ‘create shocking content’ in the name of high views, which later was used against him in court. I don’t believe on any level that Joe was capable of murder for hire, but those videos he filmed damn sure didn’t help sway the jury to think otherwise.

She continued: This saddens me deeply, as he is one of the few people in entertainment I became very close friends with. … I’m blessed to have him as a friend.”

Maldonado-Passage has since said he’s “over the Carole Baskin saga.” He’s currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for an alleged murder-for-hire plot against Baskin (among other charges).

Here’s what Starr thinks of ‘Tiger King’

Despite Tiger King’s success among viewers, those who have a personal connection to “stars” of the series have a different outlook. This is true of Starr, who called the docuseries “a skewed version of the truth.”

“The animals were fully taken care of, above and beyond,” she said. “Very clean cages, quality food and lots of attention were given to them many times daily. I highly disagree with how the documentary portrays GW Zoo and the [condition of the] animals.”

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is available on Netflix.

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