Rick Kirkham, the TV producer who worked at Joe "Exotic" Maldonado-Passage's zoo for a year filming a reality show that never got made, has spoken up . In a mysterious coincidence, Kirkham's own house burned down just six months later, killing his dog. Viewers can submit questions for Kirkham by posting a video on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #AskTigerRick. from The United States Attorneys Office Western District of Oklahoma. However, Exotic, whose legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, wouldn't become a reality star: Instead, he is currently, for attempting to hire a hitman to kill Baskin, an animal rights activist who is another controversial figure in the big cat world. He uses that camera and captures a video diary of life talking intimately about his addiction, his guilt, and the love of his two boys, which would ultimately save him from self-destruction.. The first season was released on Netflix on March 20, 2020. Updated September 26 at 12:02 p.m.: At Netflix's "Tudum" event on Saturday, the streamer announced that Tiger King 2 will drop on November 17, teasing the news with a short trailer. Kirkham sought to capitalize on the unusual nature that Joe Exotic exuded by filming his every move and turning it into a reality television show. Joe . Moreover, he likes to do camping and hiking in adventurous places. "Tiger King" is currently available to stream on Netflix. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Netflix's Tiger King is full of baffling story . Kirkham has publicly advocated for drug awareness among youths and children since achieving sobriety. Soon after his wedding and right before the birth of his first child, Kirkham checked into rehab at the encouragement of Inside Edition producers. Richard Allen Kirkham (born May 16, 1958) is an American film producer, writer, cinematographer and journalist who is best known for his documentary TV Junkie and appearance in the Netflix documentary Tiger King. Exotic originally enlisted him to do the production for Exotic's internet show which often focused on Exotics hatred for his longtime rival Carole Baskin. After marrying his first wife and right before the birth of his first child, Kirkham checked into rehab at the encouragement of Inside Edition producers. But before he was ever arrested on the heinous charges, Exotic talked regularly about wanting Baskin dead often on shows Kirkham helped produce. As a result, not only was he fired by Inside Edition, but Kirkhams wife, Tammie, was also fired with their son. Kirkham appears in the same setting throughoutTiger King, wearing all black and smoking cigarettes on camera. The couple was living in Plano, but eventually, Rick split with his wife. CNET's interview with Joel McHale where he discusses Community and Tiger King, 9 things you didn't know about Netflix's insane hit show, 7 ways to get more of Netflix's wildly popular documentary, President Trump will 'take a look' at pardoning Tiger King Joe Exotic, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Apart from this, Rick Kirkham also works as a journalist for an American television news magazine named Inside Edition. However, his career took a turn for the worse after he became involved with drugs. Furthermore, Exotic alleged that Baskin offered Kirkham $20,000 to burn down the studio. Conservative media personality Bill O'Reilly, who used to work as an anchor on the show, even called his former co-worker Kirkham "nuts" in a clip included in the docuseries. His father was also a writer and his mother was a housewife. Rick Kirkham is a former television reporter. I want to put this chapter away but it keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, he said. Read:CNET's interview with Joel McHale where he discusses Community and Tiger King. But Kirkham has quite the story of his own. He lost his family and "Inside Edition," along with all his other gigs, fired him. That was Joe Exotic. He became interested in making films at a young age, and began recording home videos of himself. He explained that because ofthese strange things he allegedly witnessed while working with Joe, he can't even be mad that Netflix made a project like the one he initially wanted to make. Recently, Rick was seen spending his time with his wife and having a great harbor-side lunch before moving to Oslo to deliver a speech even during this pandemic period. The 61-year-old man started his career as a journalist. You may also like: Jimmy McNichol, Stacey Dash, Your email address will not be published. Rick Kirkham is not having an affair with anyone presently. Later, his wife filed for divorce. He has not returned. How to get help:In the U.S., contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationhelpline at 1-800-662-4357. Rick also hosted a two-hour live pay chat where fans could ask him about his experiences with Joe, while Rick showed some unseen footage. So when the fire happened, Kirkham saidthat was the final straw for him. He is also popular for his signature style of wearing a dark cowboy hat. He would later use that camera to capture a video diary of [his] life as he talked intimately about his addiction, his guilt and the love of his two boys, which would ultimately save him from self-destruction.. Kirkham is Facebook friends with Baskin. While he has already appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007, long before Tiger King, Kirkham has taken the opportunity to improve his public profile after Netflixs docuseries went viral. Ironically, Kirkham thinks Joe's new notoriety might actually help the animals he once caged, by raising awareness of the conditions of small roadside zoos. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. OnLights Out with David Spade, Kirkham expands about Tiger King and the studio fireduring a 16-minute interview. When Kirkham lost his job, he lost his family and almost lost his life, too. He is interested in cinemas from childhood. As of 2020, Kirkham lives inBodo, Norway. The film received mainly positive reviews; Film Threat found it "an unbelievably candid glimpse into the contradictions of cocaine addiction", and praised Kirkham's articulate and authentic self-portrait.[3]. Rick Kirkham has had a lifelong desire to work as a director and in the entertainment industry. I lost everything I had. Then he took off to Las Vegas to become a crime reporter at an NBC affiliate, according to ABC News. Kirkham began to speak publicly about his drug use to young adults. A few months after Tiger King was canceled by Netflix, the platform interviewed all of the cast members, including Kirkham, who revealed he moved to Norway and met his significant other there. He even interviewed then-President George H.W. By 1996, his addiction caused his professional and personal life to crash. This is Kirkham's second marriage whom . Hes gone on to appear in several interviews and is attached to other shows trying to make the most of the popularity Tiger King received. Tiger King released in March 2020, and has since become a worldwide streaming sensation. By 1988, he was hired at the newsmagazine program Inside Edition to partake in deadly stunts like being shot out of a cannon or being set on fire. Still, justthe man's bravado alone adds an extra layer of intrigue,certainly when the docuseries reveals thatKirkham's studio burned to the ground less than a week after a confrontation with Joe. Q.V. While covering that beat, he often accompanied the police to make drug busts. The Oklahoma City native was thrust into the spotlight as a dancer on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" by age 16, according to a 2009 ABC News story. The horse story was apparently just one of "a hundred" crazy things Kirkham allegedly witnessed. Rick Kirkham has a fair height of 5 feet 8 inches. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. ET. But in March 2015, a suspected arson fire destroyed the zoo studio, killing the zoos alligatorsand destroying all of Kirkhams footage. Kirkham was working on his own reality TV show about Exotic that never came to fruition after a suspicious blaze destroyed the footage a fire Kirkham believes was set by Exotic. I had to go get psychiatric help after working in that zoo. Rick, on the other hand, was able to overcome his drug addiction issues before releasing a documentary called TV Junkie, which was shot while he was high. In 1996, Kirkham was fired fromInside Editionbecause of his addiction. TIGER King's Rick Kirkham has said he hates the hit documentary's star Joe Exotic so much that he wanted him to be devoured by his own big cats. In 1996, Kirkham was fired fromInside Editionbecause of his addiction. But how could Netflix grab new interviews when most Americans are under a coronavirus lockdown? However, the documentary seems to suggest Exotic himself may have paid someone to set the fire, as the footage lost in the fire were going to be under subpoena and could incriminate Exotic further. Investigators never determined who started the fire, and Maldonado-Passage denied any involvement. His attorney did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. he worked for the news magazine Inside Edition for many years. That footage, however, fell victim to a random fire on Joe's propertyone that Kirkham believes Joe, who's legal name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, set himself. Not to mention, he appeared on Oprah Winfreys show in 2007 and discussed his drug addiction. Recently in 2020, he starred in the Netflix documentary Tiger King. He is well-known in the country for his Netflix show named "Tiger King". about the dangers of drug addiction. Not only is Rick working, but he has seen an uptake in his professional engagements since 'Tiger King' released. The recorded livestream can still be viewed online, if you're willing to pay from $3.99 to $4.99 . He says he sought therapy to help recover from the Joe years. He told Joel McHale, the host of Tiger King and I, that the local paper put his picture on the front page and that even a walk results in Tiger King comments. We always welcome your valuable feedback to improve Wiki Celebs Site. Children. As a well-known producer, Kirkham linked up with Maldonado-Passage in the hopes of making a reality show about the "Tiger King.". After completing graduation, he began writing his own theater plays. Rick Kirkham is a reality TV producer who appeared on Netflix's Tiger King, and former Inside edition reporter who made the 2006 documentary, TV Junkie. In an interview with Extra TV, Kirkham conceded that being on camera was like a drug to Maldonado-Passage, which made for good reality television. We found the men who really sang songs like "I Saw a Tiger" and "Here Kitty Kitty.". As for Kirkham himself, he says he's concentrating on finishing a memoir. Joe Exotic was everything I had dreamed of in finding a reality show, the project's producer Rick Kirkham said in the Netflix docuseries. "[8] Kirkham also claimed that things were "a hell of a lot worse" than what's depicted in Tiger King; ""[Watching Tiger King], you kinda had a little bit of a heart for the guy, but you really didn't realize or get to see how evil he really could be, not only to animals, but to people. He was born on May 16th, 1958, in the United States. Karma came around for him in that he's now sitting in jail as the most famous man on the planet.". He also briefly worked for KFBB-TV in Montana as a news director before meeting Maldonado-Passage. He had suffered a nervous breakdown, he told the filmmakers. reported last year. . If youve been watching the new docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,. The names of his children are not available. There's a lot more to Kirkham than what's depicted in the hit Netflix series. Since appearing on Tiger King, Rick has enjoyed public attention as well. Having started at an early age, Rick was a valued part ofInside Editionfor a long time. But even before the crazy Tiger King experience and the multiple fires, Kirkhams life was already quite wild. Kirkham plans to reveal even more about Joe Exotic and Tiger King in a livestream tomorrow,Saturday, April 11, at 2p.m. His sons dont live with him in Norway, but Rick has equal love for them. He has one sibling and is very close to his brother. Kirkham took up residency at Maldonado-Passage's G.W. He married Kristin E Rosy Kirkham in 2018, and reportedly works as a reporter for RealReels. However, his plans went up in flames (literally) when the studio where the footage was kept caught fire. Notably, Rick is somewhat closeted about his personal life, but he has had quite a prosperous professional career. He was accused of sexually harassing women. The Oklahoma City native was thrust into the spotlight as a dancer on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" by age 16, according to a, He got a degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981, according to Kirkhams. He is currently living in Bodo, Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter for RealReels. "We . I cried because all of our footage was in that studio and I hadn't backed up anything outside the studio.. They are Rick Jr. or Ricky and Dustin or Dusty. "Joe was terrified of big cats," Kirkham said. Kirkham previously married a woman named Tammie, with whom he has a son. The couple lives a happy married life. Naturally, you might be wondering how much Rick Kirkham is worth. According to hisLinkedInprofile, Kirkham obtained a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981. Tiger King tells the story of the rise and fall of Joseph Schreibvogel, a.k.a. Kirkham was hired by Inside Edition as an anchor, where he interviewed celebrities like James Brown and Chuck Norris. And, at the age of 16, he made his television debut as a dancer on Dick Clarks American Bandstand. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the. ( m. 2018) . Kirkham claimed to have everything on video, including good, bad, and ugly.. A filmmaker, Kirkham recorded much ofhis addiction on camera. By Bernadette Roe / April 6, 2020 8:52 pm EST. There, he began to record footage for his show project and to shoot publicity stills. I attended the American Broadcasting School. He hasn't been able to escape the popularity of the show there. The couple live in Bod, a municipality in Norway. If youve been watching the new docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, then you already know that the Tiger King portion of the shows title came from a reality show dream that, quite literally, went up in flames. Inside Joe Exotic's Wild Homemade Music Videos. 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