Well, we can’t say we’re surprised, but imprisoned Tiger King star Joe Exotic is now the subject of even more controversy after an unearthed viral clip questioning why he’s not allowed to say the N-word made the rounds.
TMZ reports that the clip is from a longer video recorded in 2015 for the tiger breeder’s “Joe Exotic TV” series (if you’re a fan of the Netflix limited series, you know Joe loves making videos of all kinds).
“What’s going on here in this country?” Joe asks in his signature Southern drawl while using his cane to pace back and forth. In the background, a large Bengal tiger and a white tiger can be seen perched on two platforms while their handler yells at the camera, probably thinking, “Someone, please come get this man.”
“It’s absolutely pathetic,” he continues. “I can’t say the N-word, but you can get on YouTube, and watch any Black man’s rap video, and they’re calling each other the N-word. What the hell, is this discrimination? I’m white, I can’t say the N-word?” In the extended cut, he complains about the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to issue licenses to people living in Gay, Georgia. Then he starts talking about blowjobs and everything goes left, so we’re going to focus on the N-word comments here.
Despite the show’s popularity and the cringe-worthy nature of the clip, many Twitter users barely batted an eyelash at Exotic’s queries, stating that there’s a chance he may have said the N-word a few times in the past, but they gave him props for censorship in this particular clip.
“This is literally the least surprising thing about this whole story,” one user wrote, while another chimed in “I swear to God I was waiting for [him to say the N-word] the whole series.”
Tiger King is one of the most popular on Netflix today, and stars such as Cardi B have live-tweeted their reactions while watching. [Spoiler Alert: the rapper reportedly set up a GoFundMe account to help bail Joe Exotic out of jail, however, it was shut down shortly after. Per a representative from the crowdfunding site, “[money] cannot be raised to fund the defense of inmates convicted of violent crimes.”]