Carole Baskin has debunked rumours that she could return for a second season of Netflix's Tiger King, RadioTimes.com can reveal.

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The Sun newspaper had previously reported from an undisclosed source that Baskin was demanding a £1 million fee to take part in a rumoured follow-up to the eccentric docuseries.

However, Baskin has told RadioTimes.com that these reports are untrue, stating she has no desire to return to Tiger King after feeling she was deceived about the nature of the series.

She said: "No one has asked me to participate in a second round of Tiger King, Murder, Mayhem and Madness and there is no amount of money that would cause me to trust the producers again after their sick betrayal of the animals and me.

"I wasn't paid the first time around, although several people have come forward saying they were paid. That violates the very nature of a documentary along with so many other things that were staged and taken out of context."

Netflix declined to comment on Baskin's remarks.

RadioTimes.com has reached out to Tiger King producers Fisher Stevens and Chris Smith for their response.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness debuted on Netflix in late March, introducing viewers to the bitter feud between amateur zookeeper Joe Exotic and animal rights activist Baskin.

Exotic is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for hiring someone to murder Baskin, in addition to several animal abuse charges.

Shortly after the series premiered, Baskin hit back against her depiction in a blog post, claiming the project was pitched to her as an investigation into animal abuse, similar to that of SeaWorld orca documentary Blackfish.

She said: “There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the docuseries not only does not do any of that but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers.”

In response, producer and co-director Eric Goode told LA Times: "Carole talked about her personal life, her childhood, abuse from her first and second husband, the disappearance of her ex, Don Lewis. She knew that this was not just about… it’s not a Blackfish because of the things she spoke about.

"She certainly wasn’t coerced. The other thing I would say about all these people is that there was a lack of intellectual curiosity to really go and understand or even see these animals in the wild."

Fellow producer and co-director Rebecca Chaiklin added: "I would just say we were completely forthright with the characters. With any project that goes on for five years, things evolve and change, and we followed it as any good storyteller does. We could have never known when we started this project that it was going to land where it did."

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Tiger King is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.

Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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