True crime podcast fans, prepare for an epic binge: Wondery’s Over My Dead Body is back with its most compelling season yet. The podcast series debuted to wild success in early 2019 with its first season, Tally, which tracked a marriage gone dangerously awry. The Prodfather, a two-part bonus season released in April, held listeners captive as it investigated a mysterious hitman. Now, the wait for your next true crime fix is over: Over My Dead Body: Joe Exotic is out now, and it presents a riveting case that only gets stranger with each new twist.
Meet the titular focus of the latest season: Joe Exotic, a self-described "gay, gun-carrying redneck with a mullet" who’s as comfortable shooting guns and belting out country ballads on his Youtube channel as he is handling wild tigers. Born Joe Schreibvogel, Joe's career in wildlife began when he purchased a property in Oklahoma with plans to construct a private sanctuary for abused and abandoned exotic creatures. This inspired Schreibvogel to reinvent himself as Joe Exotic, the self-proclaimed "Tiger King." Exotic soon took his unbridled love of wildlife on the road, touring the country with an exotic petting zoo and magic performance that incorporated his tigers. He also transformed his private sanctuary into the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, where visitors could get an up close look at the animals.
![camera-icon]()
Joe Exotic with his tigers.
Photo Credit: Rob Moor
But there was another, less amusing side to Joe Exotic. A man as wild and dangerous as the big cats he raised, Exotic had a habit of making enemies—and he soon found one in Carole Baskin.
The founder of the animal sanctuary and nonprofit organization Big Cat Rescue, Carole Baskin first became involved in private ownership of bobcats and other large cats with her husband, Don Lewis. Lewis disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the 1990s—just one of the many twists listeners can expect. Though she initially purchased animals from breeders and “fur farms” in an effort to keep cats out of the hands of people who wished them harm, Baskin eventually grew tired of trading exotic animals. So she transitioned into rehabilitating big cats and fighting to end private ownership of them—a stance that brought her head to head with Joe Exotic.
The building tension reaches a breaking point when Joe accuses Carole of sneaking into his zoo and poisoning his animals, a crime for which she’ll pay: "I used to never fantasize about somebody’s brains on a wall," he says, menacingly. As their feud grows ever more ferocious, the rival animal lovers are pushed to the brink of sanity—and beyond.
Need to know how this wild true crime tale ends? Tune in now via Apple Podcasts or the podcast app of your choice to catch up on the first few episodes. Then prepare for the podcast's stunning conclusion. Hosted by journalist Robert Moor and produced by the podcast network that brought you Dirty John and Doctor Death, Over My Dead: Joe Exotic is sure to leave you hungry for more.
This post is sponsored by Wondery. Thank you for supporting our partners, who make it possible for The Lineup to celebrate the true crime you love.
