Carole Baskin says Netflix's 'Tiger King' has caused "death threats and an unimaginable onslaught from abuse" and stars were "not equipped to handle" it.
The Big Cat Rescue boss and her spouse, Howard Baskin, filed a complaint against the streaming service earlier this month, alleging breach of contract for featuring them in the new documentary series and its promotional trailer, despite their refusal to be involved with the show.
And while the Baskins claimed the use of footage originally shot for the first 'Tiger King' for anything other than the initial documentary violates the release forms they signed before filming, Netflix filed a response in which they insisted that isn't the case.
Documents obtained by People magazine by Netflix and Royal Goode Productions stated Carole and Howard signed nine appearance releases and two location releases for 'Tiger King' in 2019 which "explicitly permit Defendants to use the footage in later projects."
A judge had previously denied a motion for a temporary restraining order which would stop footage of Carole, Howard, and their sanctuary from being featured in the sequel because it "would be entered before Defendants have had an adequate opportunity to respond."
And now, Carole has put the show on blast once again and accused the producers of being to blame for "false perceptions of the characters" through "clever editing".
In an interview with The Sun, Carole said: "I believe the 'Tiger King' series on Netflix were so lacking in journalistic ethics as to have created false perceptions of the characters that were created through clever editing.
"The lies that were magnified in the series and proliferated in the media frenzy resulted in death threats and an unimaginable onslaught from abuse to me, my family, co rescuers and Big Cat Rescue.
"It's easy to imagine that others in the series may have experienced similar reactions on a scale they were not equipped to handle."
Carole has been vocal in the past about her unhappiness at the way she was depicted on the show, in particular the scrutiny over her missing first husband, Don Lewis, and insisted she had expected the programme to focus on her animal rescue efforts.
And her latest interview comes after reptile dealer Jeff Johnson, who appeared in the fourth episode of the docu series, died by suicide in September.
