What Life At The Tiger King Zoo Was Really Like, According To John Finlay

Joseph Finlay Tiger King Netflix

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Netflix's original series Tiger King. Read at your own risk!

Tiger King is continuing to dominate mainstream pop culture, and the longer it stays in the spotlight, the more the stars of the documentary are speaking out. Doc Antle, Carole Baskin, and even Shaquille O' Neal have had things to say about the Netflix original, and now Joe Exotic's ex-husband, John Finlay, has gotten in on the action. Finlay is speaking out to talk about his life post-Joe Exotic, and to reveal what life at Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park was actually like.

Tiger King showed the day to day of Joe Exotic's operation which, while there was plenty of chaos, seemed to run relatively well at times. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, John Finlay said that life while working at the animal park was a bit different than what was shown on screen, and certainly less predictable.

You never knew what was gonna happen in a day. Nothing was ever the same. Nothing was ever quiet, nobody ever was the same every day. Something was always off about some people or something was just not right. When you're around the animals like that and the atmosphere changes, you tend to notice a lot more.

John Finlay added that, believe it or not, the tiger park was "a lot crazier" than what was depicted on camera. Keep in mind that Tiger King showed a scene in which an employee's arm was ripped off by a tiger, so one can only imagine what events Finlay witnessed that could possibly be crazier.

As far as what it was like to work day-to-day with Joe Exotic as a boss, John Finlay seemed to indicate he was the most unpredictable part. Finlay spoke of Exotic's erratic nature, and how he ultimately sacrificed the well-being of the animals to deal with his own personal obsessions.

You didn't know whether he was in a good mood or bad mood or what he was gonna come at you with. [He was] pursuing something he had no idea what the outcome was gonna be, what it was gonna cost. He took so much away from the animals because it was a constant fight, constant battle. There's gonna be a loser in every situation that happens and they were the ones that ultimately lost everything.

John Finlay said that while he missed dealing with exotic animals, he ultimately has no regrets with how his life turned out. Finlay has not spoken to Joe Exotic since their split, and added that he has no interest in ever speaking to him again.

Tiger King is now available to stream on Netflix. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on what's worth checking out on the streamer, and for the latest news happening in television and movies in 2020 and beyond.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.