Green Light with Chris Long - Tiger King’s Saff Saffery on Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, Big Cats and New-Found Fame.

Episode Date: April 10, 2020

0:37 - Open. 4:13 - Saff from Tiger King on Joe Exotic, Big Cats, and Tiger King. 33:20 - Quick Hitter Questions. About Chalk Media: Following the unfiltered voice and vision of Chris Long, Chalk Media is the interactive online community for you, the intelligent and humorous sports fan. Driven by access, Chalk delivers a unique perspective that cuts through the canned talking points and provides a variety of content from your favorite sports and entertainment celebrities. Here at Chalk, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we are rooted in challenging the perception of professional athletes. We embrace the “real” with a unique combination of humor and intelligence. Chalk is a community with a voice beyond 240 characters that brings a perspective and vibe to a traditionally brash and boastful sports media space. Subscribe and enjoy weekly content including podcasts, documentaries, live chats, celebrity interviews and more. Nothing is off limits at Chalk - hot news items, trending discussions from the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA are just a small part of what we will be sharing with you. 🌍🏀🏈SUBSCRIBE NOW ⚾🏒⛰️ http://bit.ly/chalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carol has done something allegedly that people, when they put the pieces of the puzzle together, it doesn't look so good. Did she do it in your mind? I have no idea if she did, but I can tell you that I do know Carol and she's fully capable of it. Welcome to Greenlight Pot. I'm your host, Chris Long. It is Friday. Happy Friday. And I know that even in the midst of the social distancing era because yesterday to start the pot, I attempted to wish everybody a happy Friday. And it was a bit early to usher in the weekend. It was indeed Thursday, but you can tell where I am on the whole calendar thing right now. So one day closer to the weekend, one day closer to getting blackout drunk with your friends on an app that was designed for productive business meetings. Quite the everyman development that we're all

problem drinking on the same app that Roger Goodell is organizing the NFL draft later this month. So yeah, today, great guest, Saff from the Tiger King, if you're one of the 34 million people who has at least seen the Netflix series in any capacity. You probably remember Saff. We'll get to that in a minute. But I just want to shout out slash thank the list. Listen, you know, everybody has a podcast. I'm pretty sure on the street that I live on, at least five to seven people have a podcast and they're recording right now. You don't have to be a pro athlete or somebody who has a blue check on Twitter to be able to have one. And I don't think I'm any better or more special than anybody who does. So if you're listening, thank you. We went five for five this week. We're going with the volume approach. A lot of guests. a lot of interesting folks.

I had Joe Barksdale. I had Vashti Cunningham, Myron Roll, Jason Hartilius, and of course did one with my co-host, Making Gunner. And to round out the week, we get SAF from Tiger King. So it's been a good week. Thank you if you've listened to one or all of it, because there is a lot of content out there right now.

I did have a follower the other day. He was like, hey, man, got a minute. And I was like, yeah. And this is all over Twitter. He was like, yeah, man, I like your stuff. It's one of my favorite podcasts. I was like, oh, cool, thanks. And he was like, yeah, but you're doing too many pods right now.

So I'm not going to listen to your stuff anymore. And then I was confused. I thought the point was to bang out content. And we've been doing it. So we'll keep at it. I know people are stressed. They're bored sitting around the house. And again, I know there's plenty of pods to choose from.

So if you choose this one, Thank you. Don't forget to subscribe if you can. And tell a friend. We'll keep the guests rolling in and try to keep you entertained. And thank you for tuning in, really. Tiger King, Saff, excited about this one. You know, a ton of people know the show. If you know the show, you probably might have made up a short list of characters that you would actually trust on any level.

There's a lot of very interesting folks in the show, and we'll get into that. SAF most likely is at the top of the trustworthy power rankings within the Tiger King Arena. That is, you know, after a very inexact study that I just conducted by scrolling through my timeline for the last month, everybody loves SAF. You know, I would throw a Ranking in there too, but it's going to be great talking to him. and let's get them on. All right. So without further ado, the coolest guest I've ever had.

Saf from Tiger King. Saf, how you doing? I'm doing very well, Chris. Thank you very much for having me. Oh, dude, pleasure's all mine. What's life like right now? I know it's weird with quarantine and everything, but since you left in 2018,

what's your life been like? You know, I was trying my best to just kind of move on from it all. I was there for almost 10 years. So it was my entire life for so long. Starting all over is really what it was. And that was kind of what led to my move to California. You know, I just had to get completely away from the state. Yeah.

And I guess did you realize for a while, hey, this documentary they've been filming for all this time is going to drop? Was it like a weight that was kind of hanging over you? Because I know at first you weren't into, at least from what I heard, doing the documentary, you eventually agreed knowing for a couple of years now that, hey, this thing, blow up, it could be big, like, was there a part of you that was worried about what could come out and what didn't? No, no. Yeah, you're right. I didn't want to participate just because I wanted to disconnect completely. But again, like I've said before, you know, they said the story's going to be told anyway, and I'm such a big part of it. I might as well, you know, be able to speak for myself.

So, no, I really, I wasn't concerned about anything, but I definitely did not expect this massive of a scale. Yeah, I think that's the thing people might not realize. Like when the crew's there, even though they're there for a while, I don't know that there's a ton of reality TV shows out there. If you scroll Netflix, there's fucking 800 shows. Your show has been seen by 34 million people. You never maybe imagine that.

What's celebrity like? No, I have never not been anonymous, you know? The news in 2013 when my incident happened, you know. You know, I remember when I was a kid, man, just watching my mom get recognized by a friend in the store was weird for me, you know? Right. Like, no one else should know her. That's mine. Right. Navigating that. It's all new to me.

I'm kind of taking it as it comes. Has anybody stopped you that made you uncomfortable? Or were you like, hey, dude, I'm not ready for this level of fame? Right. No, not yet. I mean, I haven't been uncomfortable yet. I think a lot of it is just not sure, you know, unsure of it all because it's never happened. Yeah.

And it's a lot of fame quick. Like, you know, other people, you know, like an athlete, like myself, like you build that up over time. Right. You was one day, you know, you can walk down the street. And the next day, I see you get an interview by like David Spade and shit like that's, it's crazy. I mean, so. But the cool thing is you made it out of this show, which had a lot of controversial characters and obviously some of them

of your friends and all that, but like, you made it out as being kind of the people's champ. Everybody loves the show. They don't know how to feel about some people. I mean, it's definitely a complicated situation, but everybody almost unanimously felt like, hey, Saf is

the one I would trust. How does that make you feel? It's very unexpected and it's heartwarming. Honestly, you guys watched me live my life, you know, for 10 years. is basically what happened. I was just living.

And then this all happened. So unexpected. And it feels good for sure. You know, I can't deny that. Well, you are love. People love you.

I posted that you were coming on in the pod and people were freaking out sending a bunch of questions. We'll get to those in a few. Okay, so if you're the most trustworthy one on the show, and I told you this off of jump, you and Rankie are my favorite characters.

And I would say, like I always, a true friend, you can call it three in the morning, in a jam, you know you can count on them. So outside of Rankie, because he's my favorite, I would pick you or him, who are you calling it 3 a.m.

out of that entire show, all the characters on the show, if you're absolutely in a bind and you need help. Oh, I'd probably just find the hybrid. You said what? I'd probably just find the tiger first. That makes sense.

Call it a day. Yeah, it, listen. it's a lot of complicated characters we'll get to it, but what's the craziest thing that they maybe didn't include in the show that didn't make it? And not much.

They covered a lot of it. What you guys see on camera is exactly how these people are in real life. As far as I'm concerned, and I have personal relationships with every single one of them. I think the one thing that they kind of left out the most, in my opinion, is our interactions with the animals, man.

There was so much interactions with these animals. We were there from sun up to sundown. And they just, they didn't have much of that, you know? Of course, a lot of it was focused on Joe, but there was a lot more to that part than just Joe, you know? And I would have highlighted that a little bit more. Well, that was one of the themes. It was almost like, hey, did Joe know at times

that there was a lot more to the park than Joe, you know, which it is what it is. It had to be thrilling on a level to get in, it has to be thrilling. because it's fucking terrifying to me. You got all these people that sign up to work for below minimum wage. They're not eating necessarily very well. Or at least that's the way the show depicted it.

You guys are working your asses off and you're risking your lives as evidence by your run in. Like, what have you done to replace that rush since you left in 2018? Not much since. And not much is out there that can do that, you know? Prior to being on the park for working with these animals, I was in the military. We're dropping out of campaigns and stuff like that. Things, I've always been that type of thrill seeker, you know. I've needed something in my life to just make it like, whoa, man, slow down.

So I really don't know, but I'm looking forward to it. You got any bucket list stuff that you think you might be able to fill the void with? There's a couple, you know, mostly travel. I want to see things. I want to put my hand on things. So travel is in my future for sure, hopefully. What about, you know, Doc Annell, I heard an interview with him recently and take it for what you will because it's Doc Anno saying it. But he's saying that, and with any documentary and TV people and the media, which I would unfortunately count myself as a part of now that I have a fucking podcast.

But they're going to steer you. They're going to prompt you. So like before they sit you down, they're going to say, hey, like, this is what we want out of this shot or whatever. how much prompting was there in this documentary? And, you know, Anil said, hey, listen, they had staff sitting in front of a bunch of junk, you know, to make the place look run down. You know, you had shots of the cages that looked way worse than they were, et cetera. How exaggerated was that sort of thing?

Yeah, you know, I would say definitely, like the cinematography of it all was a little bit artistic. To put it in my own terms. Of course, I don't live where that interview was shot. It was actually my option or my choice. I didn't want them in my house. I already had declined it a couple of times. So, yeah, they just picked the location and I showed up and was there for a few hours, you know, filming most of that interview. So, yeah, I can understand what he's saying, you know, artistic-wise.

They put people in certain places. But as far as, you know, the lifestyles that were portrayed in my opinion, opinion, it was 100% exactly how it is. Yeah. You say you have to be responsible for no matter what or who steered you in what direction. So I look at Don Quintelman and I know him. I've been to his park. You know, I've seen his animals and I've seen his employees and partners.

And they're extremely happy out there, man. They're living the life out there. And I think that's how it should be. You know, he should be able to live your life unapologetic. Yeah. And he's doing just that. He was successful early in life. And he's just riding that out.

Now, another thing that came up with him while we're on him, and I didn't want to go too far down this road, because I don't want this to be a big, like, shit on People Fest. But, you know, Doc came across as somebody who was a little bit maniacal. I mean, he definitely has a magnetism, which Joe has, too, you know, in different ways, though. I felt like where Joe seemed his intentions were sometimes harmless, but he would just get out in front of his skates a little bit. Doc had a plan.

That guy kind of scares me a little bit. Like you go there, was it cultish? You know, were the women being held there against their will, that type of thing? Because that's what people that come away from that documentary think. Right. And that's why, you know, I wanted to mention that I've been there myself. And from what I've seen, everyone there wants to be there. Yeah.

Whoever doesn't leaves. You know what I mean? And it's funny that that's what was taken away when the person, you know, kind of telling that story of it all has left. You know what I mean? So they can take it for what it is. The girl in Iowa. Right, right.

You know, it's like someone blowing the whistle but still doing the thing. You know, it's like you left so that makes perfect fit. You know, it wasn't your lifestyle. It wasn't your thing, wasn't your vibe. And you left. Yeah. So, I mean, I think that speaks a lot, in my opinion. You know, everyone can take it for what it is, though.

Have friends hit you? up and been like, you know, because I'm sure you have a lot of friends with the military, by the way, I appreciate you. And I'm sure you got friends like, you went to high school in Hawaii, right? You grew up in Hawaii. So you've got friends that probably knew what you did for a living, but never visited. Maybe they followed you on Facebook or Instagram. And then this thing comes out.

Have a lot of your close friends or extended family been like, holy shit, I did not know the depths of this thing? Oh, absolutely. And in fact, I said that out front. As soon as it came out, I was like, you know, most of the, of my close family and friends have not seen that video, you know, have not seen that portion. They saw it on the news. Of course, that wasn't shown. So for them to actually see it, it was almost like they were living it with me. And of course, that's something I've never really got

into details with them. They know what happened, but they don't know the details. And now they know the details. So I think it was surreal for them in that sense. But yeah, I mean, it is what it is. It happened. I made it through. I never really, you know, I honestly don't think about it until it's brought up by someone else. Really? Yeah, for sure. Do you find any support in the military community as far as having to deal with an amputation and dealing with some of those challenges to getting back? You're a very active person and you were going around with tigers every day. You go from that in military to rolling around with tigers to, hey, you have to have an amputation. And you know, you're looking at two and a half years of reconstructive surgery,

which I think when people are watching the show, they're like, well, why would you lose your arm? Well, when you're faced with three years of being in and out of the hospital and you have to make money to live and you love what you do, I could see that. Like, have you found support in unexpected ways, the military community, etc.? That is in the way? Definitely.

You know, the military was supportive of me from the get-go. Because it was not military-related, you know, there was a lot of factors that played in. So I did end up getting a prosthetic. I just didn't like it. So I stopped. You know? I think the place that I found the most support that was unexpected was just random little companies.

Like I had, you know, a bunch of 3D printing companies tell me like, hey, it's cheap and it's not as durable, but we can probably build a prosthetic. Right. And I thought it was amazing, you know. because it has nothing to do with their field except for just that. And that was where we related and that was where we were able to kind of reach out to each other.

And I thought that was cool. You know, I always liked this opportunity and camaraderie, which you can tell by my career choices, you know? Yeah, I was thinking about that. I was saying to myself, like, listen, it's, you're in a team setting in the military. You know, the lure is the Tigers

first and foremost, I would assume, for being in that setting. It's probably like a drug. I can't imagine. because I think you have to be fucking crazy to get in a gate. But you got to have a screw loose. But the teamwork, the camaraderie, you know, and I read that you don't keep up with the folks

that you worked with so much anymore. Is that a result of, you know, bad blood or is everybody just trying to move on once the music stopped there? Right, that's exactly what it is. As far as I'm concerned, there's no animosity towards anyone in particular. I just know that I needed to disconnect

and that was just my way of disconnected. just let it all go and moving on. So yeah. You talk about that incident, okay? And is there, now, is there a real video out there the entire thing? From the moment that the camera crew showed up. So they weren't directly filming me during the incident. So none of the incident itself was caught on camera.

But they were literally a two-minute runaway. So as soon as it went over the radio is when the cameras were, you know, a part of the incident. And so what you guys saw in the video or in the docu-series is about, I don't know, 20 or 30 seconds of maybe a 10, 15-minute thing. Right. You know what I? And it was just from the time that the camera crew showed up,

I had already had my hand removed from the tiger's mouth. And I was just standing there trying to not bleed out is really what I was going. Or lay in there. I'm trying not to bleed out, trying to stay calm. and then 15 minutes of getting me into, you know, or on a gurney, getting me, getting my hand wrapped up and waiting for the ambulance to that point. So that two-minute run by the camera crew,

that was a five-minute run for Joe because he had to go back to his trailer to get his shirt jacket. This was one of the most profound moments and the whole thing to me. I'm sitting there and I'm saying, like one of your best buddies who's working at your spot

just lost their arm and you're thinking about going to get the jacket, it. Did that piss you off? I know you like Joe, but did that piss you off? You know, I obviously didn't know about it until the docu-series came out. It just kind of made me realize that everyone has, you know, their own priorities. I was just kind of making sure that I didn't bleed out, making sure, you know, my biggest concern was that there were people on Park at the time. Right.

And I only, I can only imagine if I was taking my family out to a family, friends, place and this horrific thing happens in front of me and my children and my family. So that was my biggest concern. It's like make it as small a deal as possible. And then Joe runs back in and addresses presumably a real crowd of people. Is that a real crowd of people? Is that the actress? It was the day of.

No. Yeah. Golly. And, you know, his first response is that like I'm never going to recover financially. I'm like, he's still bleeding. So like get get there. help your friends. So I don't know, man. I have feelings about that entire sequence there. Right. You know, I think, again, I just kind of draw back to every decision that I made at the time

wasn't for him either. Yeah. So I guess in that sense, I was selfish. It was genuinely for the animals. And what I got from them, I will never be able to give back to them. Right. So that was just my way of trying to keep up, you know? Absolutely. Absolutely. Do you, do you, how quickly did you move on? I know you were back within a week. A, you talk about your love for the animals. Was it about the animals first and foremost? And B, like, how do you go back into a cage after you lose your arm less than a week ago? How long did it take you to regain your bearings in there? So I, it was October 5th is when it happened, when the incident happened. October 7th is when I had my hand amputated. And October 12th, I was back on par. Right.

With doing the exact same thing. I couldn't wait, man. I don't think there was an ounce of fear ever. And then even including during that time and after that time, I was never afraid to work with those animals. I obviously threw the dangers. I got complacent. That was, you know, the big mistake of mine.

But I don't think there was ever an out of fear in me, not one time. I want to talk to you about probably the biggest topic after the show is kind of inadvertently become Carol Baskin. And I feel like it's because, and correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like everybody on the show or the protagonist of the show, if you will, and Joe got punishment. He's in jail for allegedly something he did. Carol has done something allegedly that people, when they put the pieces of the puzzle together, it doesn't look so good. Maybe she did it, maybe she didn't.

Did she do it in your mind? And do you think that she's getting an unfair rap, if not? I have no idea if she did, but I can tell you that I do know Carol, and she's really capable of it. know, she's a very smart. She's a very smart business woman, you know? I mean, she's been doing this for years and years and husbands and husbands and years, you know.

So, fully capable for sure. I don't think that she's getting a bad rep. I think that it's balancing itself out, honestly. You know, Carol is very well known, especially to her supportive community as a saint, you know, and not saying that she doesn't do a lot. But there's a lot that she does do that she doesn't put out there. And I'm glad it's just balance, you know? So I'm sure they kind of, the last thing she would ever expect would be that

after she filmed or agreed to do this thing, because nobody did this against their will. And same goes for Doc Antell is like, you know, I think, I don't think somebody, and these are two very smart people, as you mentioned. You can tell they're smart. Like, I think Doc's got a bit of a sociopath thing going on. I think Carol probably does too. Like, I'm not going to bullshit you. Right.

I know these people, but I'm sure they did not expect to come out of this thing on the other end as villains, which goes to show you how delusional you can be doing these interviews and thinking that, like, I'm going to come out looking like a hero or a good guy. And I don't know. I just think, you know, with Carol, she is fully capable. What happened with Don seems sketchy as hell. And then don't tell me, and you can tell me if I'm wrong, that a tiger couldn't dispose of a body. yeah yeah no it's it's definitely possible i've seen them hair cow you know it's a piece you know um so yeah

it's every single part of this entire situation can be played out exactly the way that people think it's going in their mind right every single part of it is is legitimate um but again it's it's all i mean it's all speculation yeah yeah i don't want to be up here right it led to a lot of good things, in my opinion. It lets a lot of good things. Awareness and education, for one. And it also, you know, they reopened this case for them. And he has children and an ex-wife, I think, that need answers, that deserve answers. Yep, for sure. And he would be 81 today. I would have a hard time imagine. I had some buddies in my group text like, no, he bolted to Costa Rica, got the hell out of Dodge. He's in the life, yeah. I'm like, dude, you don't just disappear

like that and these big cat dudes don't live to 81 i'm sorry they live hard like they they're don sounded like a guy who was having a fucking blast so if he did escape i'm pretty sure he wrote it till the wheels fell off in cost of rica as any man in his 70s would um so it's just the only hard part about that that entire i mean that would be an amazing theory and he'd be the the number one guy who pulled off the biggest hat trick in the world but um at this point you know But he didn't take any of his money with him. Yeah, I don't buy it. That's the core.

That's like, I don't buy it. All the money. Yeah. There's no casting if you can going on here. Yeah. So with Joe, I mean, I've heard you say that he, you know, Joe made it way to, anybody watching could tell that Joe made it way too much of a thing between him and

Carol. And it probably ultimately was what, what causes downfall. How did the obsession develop with those two? Was it, did they do? a good job of laying it out accurately in the timeline? Yeah, for sure. Yeah, the rivalry was immediate as soon as they realized they were rivaled. You know, oh man, your park's getting bigger than its bridges

and your park's getting bigger than its bridges and now we're ripe. And that's where it began. And it was never, and this is why I never took part in it because it was never about the animal. Right. When, you know, when he got the copyright infringement, she had every right to take every bit of his animals. And she didn't. She wanted property. She wanted money.

Right. Yeah, I mean, I look at it and I guess I would be conflicted at times because I would say, man, I feel for Joe. Like I can only imagine all the trauma he went through. He talked about being raped as a kid. I mean, he was a gay man in the 80s in the South. His first husband died of HIV. Like, he's been through a lot.

Right. Did you meet him after that first husband passed away? Yes, I did. So you rolled up in 2010, and that was almost a decade after Joe lost his husband, yeah? Right. Yeah. Yeah. It was long after Brian, and it was during John.

John Finley was the only one. Right. So do you think it's perfectly, it's perfectly reasonable to sit here and say, people are complicated, okay? You know, there's things about Joe that I liked when I watched. He does have magnetism about him. He seems like he can be fun, endearing, charming. But he also seemed like he could be out of control and get easily distracted like you're talking about on the wrong shit.

I mean, where does Joe sit for you now? You know, right now I'm at the point where I know the good, the bad, and the ugly of Joe. And he has all three of those. There are many, many things that he's done that I've supported 100%. there are many, many things that he's done that I do not condone whatsoever. But that doesn't change our relationship over the years, you know? We had good times, we had bad times, just like any good relationship. And I don't want to see that man die in prison.

I don't think that he should. But other than that, I didn't want to be a part of his incarceration. I didn't want to be a part of his support system. I just wanted to disconnect and walk away. Do you think he's doing all right in prison? And how do you think somebody with a personality like that fares in prison? Right now I know that, you know, he's got to see some light in his eyes. He's got to see some light in the fact that he is the star of the show right now.

That's all he ever wanted, you know. But I can only imagine with his social type of personality, he's, I mean, who would love it in there? No one, you know? Right. He can't be. Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, you know, to your point, and this is the irony of it all, it seems like this would be the end game having all these eyes on him.

He never would have imagined 34 million people would be glued to the TV when there's nothing on watching Joe Exotic. But this is not how he would have drawn it up. But ironically, he got the attention he always craved. Right, right. And, you know, the stigma sticks in this case. Joe has been given a hard time throughout his entire career in this animal industry because what he's doing. putting animals in cages. Right.

Just, in my opinion, it's just, it hits the hammer on the head or the nail on the head when the table are turned and now he is in the cage, you know, sort of speak. That's where I draw the whole, I don't want him to die in prison thing from because no one should. No animals should die in a cage either, but, you know, that's just the way that this industry is now. How do you reconcile the two things? because Joe, you know, Joe was like,

I saw in an interview right up against the glass with the little pay phone, the little jail phone, and he was like, hey, you know, I finally realized what it's like to put something in a cage for all these years, and I'm ashamed of myself. Do you believe him? Wow. Do you believe him saying that?

I believe that he knows what it's like to be in a cage, yes. Listen, it's, I don't think of everybody at that, at that zoo or at that park is having the same motivations. I mean, you guys all wanted to be around the cats for different reasons, but you know, your motivations could all be different. And, you know, for you, you seem like somebody was purely about the animals. Can you hypothetically create a setting that accomplishes the goals that you guys had in mind as far as like serving the public, but also being good to those animals, which are the center of attention, not breeding them, giving them enough food? Is that possible in the United States to actually?

I mean, those figures about, there's too many tigers in captivity, in my opinion. And I, you know, I know we come from different, but can they accomplish something where everybody's happy? Right. No, first of all, I do agree. I agree there's too much tigers in captivity. In fact, there's more in captivity than there is in the wild currently. And that's both our fault. We put them in captivity and we destroyed their wild, you know? So the ideal situation, in my opinion, would be obviously just quality or quantity. Right. It was that we had too many to take care of and too little resources.

And that included the animal handlers, you know, the food, anything, the finances. Too little of that and too many responsibilities for sure. And I'm just speaking on our part. I'm not speaking on anyone else's. the ones who can find that balance are the ones who are successful in this business. And when I say business, I mean that it is a business, you know, people do come to see these animals. Whether they interact with them or not, people do come to see these animals. That's the whole point.

So I think if people can look past that, you know, like you said, stop the breeding or stop the interacting. That's things that's out of my control now. So don't even speak on it. But you stop that. These animals' lives are going to go from A to B, and then what? You know what I mean? Yeah. And then what?

So either way, it's going to be a hot issue. I mean, I started to see that there probably isn't a solid all-around solution. I think everyone in the industry needs to work together and not against each other to do the best that we can. you know for what we're it seems tough because it does seem like

the majority people in the game have and we all have egos but these were some large fucking egos

like you said you know it takes a different type of person and you're you're spot on I mean these are not

your average people walking around the street you know what they think is okay is completely not okay

to the average Joe you know but you know we just love what we do I include myself

of that, you know. I know that there is some level to me that is a little bit more than most people expect, you know? Yeah. Who else? Do you want to work with animals again? Right. I would love to. Never in a professional setting, probably. Yeah. But I still have connections to where I am able to interact with these animals, and I love doing it on a person. Okay, that's great. So a couple random ones here, quick hitters. Joe, his grooming habits. Let's talk about that. How long did he take to get his shit together in the morning because he had his whole, he had a whole system for how, you know, the mullet had to be dyed. How many times a week was he, a month was he dying the mullet, the mascara, the whole night?

And did you see my Joe Exotic dress up? Did they send you that? Holy moor. That's too on point. Oh, yeah. My wife did the, the, uh, the, uh, eye shadow there. That's an eye shadow go to you, by the way. Wonderful.

My son's, uh, tiger. So how long did it take for Joe Exotic to get his shit together in the morning? I mean, I know that he was up in like 6 a.m. He didn't get to park until about 7, 7.15. So I'm going to say an hour. I don't know because I'm not, you know, in his house with him. But yeah, for the most part, I mean, but he was still the first one on park. You know what I mean?

Yeah. So, regardless of how long it took him to get ready. I can tell you he went to more hair appointments than I've ever seen in my life. I don't think I've ever seen anyone scheduled that many hair appointments. Somebody's got to care for that mop, man. It's hard. I'm sure in Oklahoma, in Winniwood, you know, it's not Beverly Hills, you know. And Joe Exotic deserves the best with his hair care.

So. Absolutely, yeah, the best that Winnie Wood has to offer, I guess. How about his room? Did he ever clean his room? Because the one thing I noticed was that his room looks like a bomb went off in it. Right, yeah. Actually, he had, I know that he had people clean it for him at some point. You know, nieces, his niece was one of the people who had clean.

his entire house for him. Yeah, Joe didn't do much for himself if he could get someone else to do it, honestly. Okay, and how is his pizza? His pizza? Yeah. I didn't eat much there at the pizza restaurant. But in all fairness, I didn't eat much on park in general.

Oh, really? Yeah, man, I was too busy, you know, getting it on, man. So you weren't doing the expired meat thing? No, no. And, you know, not much, not every employee was. I think there's just a handful of them that was like, I need it. I'm taking it. Here's a quick question I have.

How many famous people came through the park? You know, like Carol Baskins got Britney Spears. It turns out Doc Anil has Britney Spears. Who did y'all have in Winnie Wood? Yeah, the only one that I was witness to was Shat. That was literally the only one I was witness to. I've heard that others have come through. Michelle Rodriguez, I believe, was one of them.

But, you know, again, this is hearsay. So I didn't see it with my own eyes. I don't believe it does see it. It's hard to miss Shaq. You said that, was it, who was going to play you in a biopic if they make the movie? Taylor, did you cast your story? Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, I said Taylor because that was like one of the ones that people were throwing out there.

Taylor Lautner, is that how you say it? Is he a Twilight dude? Huh? Where's he from? Twilight. I don't watch fucking TV. He's from Twilight. Yeah.

Pretty good for me there. Who would play Joe? You know, I'm David Spade all the way. Just because when I first met Joe, my immediate reaction was that Joe dirt. I mean, 100%. You know, that's the character. That's what they were aiming for, at least. Can Joe Exotic Fight?

He's tough, man. He's, he's all man, for real. He's a cowboy, huh? He's a real cowboy. I mean, he's a country boy. He's a country boy. He's not a Calvin, but he's a country boy. Kansas, Texas, country boy.

So you've seen him throw hands? No, never fight like that, but I've seen him have to be strong. You know, I've seen him have to be tough. And he's not a priest, that's for sure. No, no. I mean, golly, this fucking guy's in the cage. The tiger had him by the foot. They showed that part and moved on, like nothing happened.

Yeah. The tiger had him by the foot, dragging him. Like, did that break skin? It went like through his shoe and into his foot. Yeah, but it wasn't like bad. I mean, it wasn't bad at all. Just a flash wound. Just a shake it off and get on with your life.

Okay. So let's get these questions. And this is from Cody Bivens. He says, I'd like to hear his response to the opinion to the horse killing story that Rick Kirkham has been telling lately. Right, right. Like I said, you know, if that was the story that Joe had between him and that lady, I didn't know about it. Right. I've seen him and we've done it. You know, I've done it. People know that they're donating their animals for this cause exactly. Right. That's what's on the flyers, you know,

that's what was worth to, you know, that's what was spoken out. That was the agreement. So that is what I know. I know that we did. We shot horses to feed the cat, but it was horses that was donated to feed the cat. That's good enough for me. I'm like, I'm not going to press you on it. Jennifer, Jennifer Green asked me, what did it's not? like in those trailers and what was the shower situation? You know, I don't know. I didn't live in those employee trailers. You were off, uh, so who had the worst hygiene in, in the whole camp?

Man, I, you know, they all pretty much smelled like they needed to shower. But, you know, it's not to talk down on anyone. It's just, everyone lives their life, their own way. I had teammates that, that we knew when they were coming down the hall, they don't shower a lot, they don't bathe a lot. I guess if you're rolling around with tigers every day. Yeah, you know, it's filthy. Someone asked, what was your take on the misgendering situation with the show? Because, like, for somebody like me, I'm watching the show, and I'm calling you Kelsey

for three days after the show, unless I'm on Reddit or reading articles, I don't know. Do you think they could have done a better job there and did it bother you? Yeah, no, it didn't bother me at all. And I don't remember making a lot of the statements that were being made about me after that came out. Obviously, it didn't bother me because I spoke to these producers and filmmakers myself in person. And I just, I guess I didn't even jump on the opportunity to defend it either because it just doesn't mean anything to it. I'm okay with it. I really am.

It bothers me that it's causing such an uproar, you know? I don't know. It's never been an issue. Has anybody giving you shit for not being madder? Yeah, a couple people are like, you know, I go toe to toe with people all day about, you know, our rights and I respect. It's respect to you know that there was a fight fought by people who believed and stood up for their rights. And that's amazing because it's the home of the free because of the brave. So good.

And put it into play. Because of you. It doesn't, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Exactly. So I want to be able to live my life unapologetically, exactly the way I want to live it.

And I think that everyone should have that kind of mindset, you know, when approaching situations like that. Eric McRane asks, if you could be any animal, not a tiger, what would you mean? Yeah, that's, man, he cut me down, didn't he?

Probably. I didn't want to give you the easy. Yeah. Yeah, no, probably an eagle, you know. I mean, I just want to fly. There we go. Okay. Do you have a, somebody asked, do you have a favorite NFL team or favorite pro sports teams? Yeah, unfortunately, Hawaii does not have an NFL team. I was stationed in Washington for a good bit. So I kind of took to the Steelers, or I'm sorry, the Seahawks as an adult. When I was a kid, it was the Steelers.

I think it was influence dealers. Yeah, right now, no. I mean, I'll watch. I love NFL. I'm a big fan of yours, man, honestly. When you won the award because you donated your entire salary. That's incredible. Yeah, it was cool.

It was cool because, you know, when I was playing in Philly, and I'm glad you said your favorite, your animal outside of a tiger would be an eagle. The Eagles fans are some of the best in the world, and they got behind us 100% and doubled our investment in that whole thing. So I appreciate you saying that. Yeah.

Okay, last question or two before I let you go and I appreciate all the time. Before you worked at the zoo, was there another occupation that you almost, were you almost something else? Yeah, not by me taking any steps, but a big dream of mine. I wanted to be a marine biologist for sure.

Really? Yeah, I was born and raised in Hawaii and I spent 80% of my day in the ocean. And I was like, what can I do that could keep me right here? So what? And I now? Yeah, I mean, I might look into it, you know? Right now I'm just kind of enjoying life as much as everyone else with this whole pandemic going on.

But, yeah, but I mean, after that, I just want to kind of slow down, you know, slow down and breathe it all in for a little bit. After we binge, after, okay, so we've been binge watching you. What are you been watching outside the tiger? King, which I know you watch in one sitting. Yeah. I honestly, I haven't been doing series or TV. I've been doing Disney. I am on a Disney thing, man.

The Disney Plus thing. Yeah, Disney Plus, man. They're always hyped. You know, everyone's happy, dancing, singing. I don't watch it because I just want to like watch all the cartoons from when I was a kid and get that nostalgic. The best time to get nostalgic and like reminisce is, you know, when you have to film. Yeah.

Absolutely. Saff, is there anything else you want to say to, you know, all the big Saff fans out there? No, I just really appreciate all the support. I really do. Like I said, I just am glad to have the opportunity to tell my story, you know, and speak for myself. So thank you guys very much. Well, thank you very much. I know a lot of people are running you down for interviews. I appreciate you joining my pod. Oh, I'm a huge fan. I'm very excited. Thank you for having to see. We'll catch up. Thanks a lot, man. Appreciate it. All right, Chris. Thank you. Take it easy. So that was fun. And that is why I podcast.

Blood, sweat, and tears. Hashtag why I podcast. If you had told me when I was playing football that I would transition into being a podcaster and be able to have people the likes of SAF from Tiger King on, I don't know if I'd have to believe you. Pretty cool.

Seriously, that, I mean, I come away from that interview thinking I knew that person was cool watching the show and not that a Zoom interview is going to necessarily reveal if he's not, but I get good vibes from Seth. So appreciate him coming on and we'll catch you on Monday. I don't think we're going to have any content out to you over the weekend. People at Greenlight Pod studios, meaning our respective homes right now, Need a break. Shout out to Cowboy Reed, my producer. He is getting it done. Day and night. Churning out pods. Five pods, five days. Thanks for rolling with us. We'll catch you on Monday.