I had everything on videotape, good, bad and ugly, Kirkham told the producers of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. Kirkham claimed he was even in negotiations with an unspecified network to sell the show. John Finlay. He never revealed the names of his parents and siblings to the media. Rick Kirkham was one of the more sympathetic figures in Netflix hitTiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. Naturally, with the public attention he has gained, we can expect more interviews, talk shows, or even podcasts, which are interested in knowing Ricks opinion on Joe Exotic. In a mysterious coincidence, Kirkham's own house burned down just six months later, killing his dog. He also briefly worked for KFBB-TV in Montana as a news director before meeting Maldonado-Passage. And of course, he fed that horse to the lions. "It was cultish, very cultish," he said of the atmosphere. Roll your camera. 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 . Viewers can submit questions for Kirkham by posting a video on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #AskTigerRick. "I sold my soul to the devil being in that zoo," he said. Discovery ID channel released a show called The Truth Behind Joe Exotic: The Rick Kirkham Story. But Kirkham had more to say about Joe Exotic in a two-hour livestream pay chat that aired April 11. Kirkham obtained a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981. "We shot thousands of hours of things, and everything from him killing animals to abusing people, abusing animalshe knew it was all on tape. 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. Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. What happened to Tiger King interviewee Rick Kirkham, the TV producer whose footage was lost in a fire? 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. Tiger King released in March 2020, and has since become a worldwide streaming sensation. The story around Joe Exotic just keeps getting crazier! The Joe Exotic years will "take up another half of my book," he said. Kirkham moved onto Exotic's Greater Wynnewood Zoo property to film a reality show about Joe Exotic and, in exchange, boost the production value of Exotics somewhat unhinged web series. He had worked briefly for KFBB-TV in Montana as a news director in 2013, prior to the Joe Exotic fiasco. Tiger King (subtitled in marketing as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness for its first season, Tiger King 2 for its second season and Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story for its third season) is an American true crime documentary streaming television series about the life of former zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic. 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. He marriedKristin E Rosy Kirkham in 2018, and reportedly works as areporter forRealReels. We found the men who really sang songs like "I Saw a Tiger" and "Here Kitty Kitty.". In an exhaustive look at Kirkhams past, Oxygen uncovered quite a few gems that didnt make it into the Tiger King docuseries. He is an ardent follower of Jesus Christ and belongs to the Christian religion. I watched the entire two-plus hours and thought Kirkham came across as pretty much the same person viewers saw in the Netflix series -- a down-on-his-luck journalist who spotted a good story and was eager to make it into a reality show. Kirkham alsodiscusses the dark consequences of working atGreater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, revealing that he needed six months of therapy and one week of in-patient treatment to cope with what he'd seen. He is father of Two (Rick Jr and Dustin). Or text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor at the freeCrisis Text Line. The irony of the docu-series, Kirkham said, is that you can't tell how scared Joe Exotic was of his own tigers. But where is Kirkham these days? He is interested in cinemas from childhood. He even interviewed then-President George H.W. He has completed his schooling at a reputed high school named American Broadcasting School. John Finlay. "That's the real irony here,is the fact that Joe Exotic, all he ever wanted in his life was to be famous; the most famous man in the world," Kirkham told Sylvester. On Tiger King, he co-starred with Mario Tabraue. Rick debuted in the film entertainment industry in 1994. Kristin Rosy Kirkham. And I felt guilty. "Joe was terrified to get in cages with tigers," Kirkham says, and describes the Tiger King subject as a "surreal, one-of-a-kind figure a very evil guy at heart." 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. Zoo, killing the zoos alligators in the Steve Irwin Memorial complex, and destroying all of Kirkhams footage. Rick Kirkham has publicly admitted to being addicted to strong drugs such as cocaine, which allegedly destroyed his teeth. "Today he is, and he's sitting behind bars. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Then he took off to Las Vegas to become a crime reporter at an NBC affiliate, according to ABC News. Exotic is currently serving a 22 year sentence for hiring a hitman to kill his rival Carole Baskin, another controversial big cat figurehead. He was only 14 years old when he began filming his daily life in minute detail for 3000 hours. Kirkham then landed a job on Inside Edition after finishing college, where he had the opportunity to interview Chuck Norris, James Brown, and even former President George Bush. Apart from this, Rick Kirkham also works as a journalist for an American television news magazine named Inside Edition. His days as a crime reporter are where Kirkham earned his place in the spotlight. But Kirkham has quite the story of his own. 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. In a mysterious coincidence, Kirkham's own house burned down just six months later, killing his dog, New York Magazine reported last year. In the US, it cost somewhere between $3.99 to $4.99 to join the chat. You may also like: Jimmy McNichol, Stacey Dash, Your email address will not be published. His days as a crime reporter are where Kirkham earned his place in the spotlight. The basic facts of Tiger King are a matter of record. In this show, he shared the video clips of his 3000 hours videography. One of his first gigs out of college was as a crime reporter at a Las Vegas NBC affiliate. Rick Kirkham has publicly admitted to being addicted to strong drugs such as cocaine, which allegedly destroyed his teeth. Kirkham also vehemently denied those accusations. Tami, his wife at that time, could not stand Ricks addiction to the news and drugs. ", "There was a whole lot more to talk about; a whole lot more that could've been shown about Joe Exotic and just how wild and crazy and evil-hearted the man really was," Kirkham said, adding that a more accurate depiction would take the documentary, "multiply it [and] put it on steroids.". Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Rick Kirkham Accused of Sexually Harassing Ex-Employee Kacey Roberts", "Tiger King's Joe Exotic 'shot horse in the head and fed it to tigers' on camera", "Tiger King star comes forward with disturbing Joe Exotic story that didn't make it into documentary", "Rick Kirkham on What Tiger King Didn't Show: 'It Was a Hell of a Lot Worse Than What You Saw', "Tiger King's Lies: True Story vs. Netflix Joe Exotic Documentary", "How to watch Surviving Joe Exotic documentary", "TV Junkie Premieres on HBO Tonight -- And, Now, With a Lawsuit! Bush while high, he recounted to Oprah Winfrey, The Dallas Observer reported in 2007. Additionally, some of the items lost in the fire hard drives and videotape were going to be under subpoena. Besides this, there are no desperate rumors or scandals about this ex-reporter. According to anABC News profile, Kirkham received his first camera when he was 14-years-old. Before his time as a producer for Joe Exotic's online TV show, Rick Kirkham worked for"Inside Edition.". Notably, Rick is somewhat closeted about his personal life, but he has had quite a prosperous professional career. He likes to travel to different countries with his family. This series based on the life of the famous personality named Joe Exotic, who has so many husbands. Therefore, ick Kirkham's net worth, as of 2020, has been estimated to be close to $3 million. His sons dont live with him in Norway, but Rick has equal love for them. 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. Exotic was also found guilty of falsifying wildlife records and violating the Endangered Species Act. he worked for the news magazine Inside Edition for many years. He started writing at a very early age. His LinkedIn and Facebook profiles still list him working at RealReels as a film and tv producer, as well. Now, according to Kirkham's Facebook, he lives in Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter, with his new wife. Naturally, you might be wondering how much Rick Kirkham is worth. In 2014, Kirkham received numerous requests to become the producer for a reality show featuring Joe Exotic, the operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. Kirkham worked as a director and producer. "Joe was terrified of big cats," Kirkham said. Before seeking out big cat lover Maldonado-Passage, Kirkham had a wildly successful career as a reality television star himself. Rick Kirkham received his first camera when he was just 14 years old. There are only 1.8K followers on his Instagram account. His father was also a writer and his mother was a housewife. In 1996, Kirkham was fired fromInside Editionbecause of his addiction. 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 former Inside Edition reporter was making his own show about Joe Exotic and his crazy crew, and lost his footage in that mysterious fire discussed in the Netflix series. He also did a series of stunts during his tenure including being shot out of a cannon, set on fire, and wrestling a nine-foot alligator. Ricks IMDb page states that hes attached as a camera operator to The Frozen Theater, a documentary currently in its post-production stages. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. "[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 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. I attended the American Broadcasting School. Finlay, who was candid about his use of . Kirkham started working as a producer at RealReels in 1999 where he still works, according to his LinkedIn. 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. He speaks primarily about the infamous studio fire, and claims that it happened just two days after Joe changed the locks uponlearning he didn't own any of the footage. reported last year. He also produced so many other shows and movies. 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. Karma came around for him in that he's now sitting in jail as the most famous man on the planet.". He appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 to talk about his addiction, and clips of his video diary were shown. Rick Kirkham (born 16 May 1958) is a famous American writer, journalist, producer, and cinematographer from the United States. Rick Kirkham now lives in Norway, where he married and began a new life with his new wife. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "I knew that I had sold out my own soul," Kirkham says, and that "it really messed with my head. Before he became addicted to drugs, Kirkham was a dancer on Dick Clarks American Bandstand. 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. What happened to Tiger King interviewee Rick Kirkham, thetelevision producer whose footage was lost atGreater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park? Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. after that, he decided to make his career in the field of cinematography. Oftentimes, Kirkham claimed, he would sneak up behind people and shoot at them or the ground "just to scare the s--t" out of them.". OnLights Out with David Spade, Kirkham expands about Tiger King and the studio fireduring a 16-minute interview. Exotic originally enlisted him to do the production for Exotic's, which often focused on Exotics hatred for his longtime rival. [1] After graduating college, Kirkham got his first job; a crime reporter at a Las Vegas NBC affiliate. After taking the job, Kirkham moved into the G.W. Kirkham married his girlfriend Kristin E Rosy Kirkham in April 2018. As an interviewee, Kirkham did not receive royalties from the show, but allowed Goode and Chaiklin to use footage of Exotic he owned for a few thousand dollars. He grew up with his siblings in his hometown. Having started at an early age, Rick was a valued part ofInside Editionfor a long time. Now, according to Kirkhams Facebook, he lives in Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter, with his new wife. Six months after Kirkhams house was set on fire, Joe Exotics studio was set on fire. Before Rick was married to Kristin, he first got married in the 90s, which was when he was working for Inside Edition. The 61-year-old man started his career as a journalist. As of 2020, Kirkham lives inBodo, Norway. There, he began to record footage for his show project and to shoot publicity stills. Rick got married to his wife named Kristin Rosy. But soon, his continued cocaine use caused his professional and personal life to crumble. Understandably, the popularity of Tiger King helped Ricks program become a success. But he also began smoking crack during this time. He is well-known in the country for his Netflix show named "Tiger King". Kirkham is featured prominently throughout the documentary, recounting the rise and fall of "Joe Exotic TV", a podcast-like production that Kirkham hoped to develop into a TV series, before his footage was mysteriously destroyed. His first marriage, however, did not work out due to his drug addiction. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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