'Dateline' Examines 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's Name, History In New Jailhouse Interview

Fans of Netflix's "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness" have likely been following the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and others since its release on March 20. Now, the story has been extended thanks to a new jailhouse phone call between "Dateline" correspondent Josh Mankiewicz and Joe himself.

In a clip posted to the official "Dateline" Twitter account, Mankiewicz asks the Netflix star how he got the name Joe Exotic.

"Back in 2003, 2004, I started doing educational shows at fairs and festivals, and stuff like that," he told the NBC personality. He then added that he found children had difficulty pronouncing his real last name, which is Schreibvogel, which prompted them to begin calling him "Exotic Joe." Eventually, he said, the two words were just inverted, which eventually stuck.

Exotic then went on to reveal that people on social media were actually the ones to give him the title "Tiger King" before discussing the act of cub petting. This, he said, helped people develop an interest in trying to do what they can to help save the rainforest and recycle certain things.

Mankiewicz then asked the "Tiger King" star if he felt as though he had exploited animals for profit, which prompted Exotic to say he did not feel he had. "You can see where all the money went, in large cages and brand new cages and taking in animals that no one else would take in."

Baskin was also a topic that was tackled in the new "Dateline" interview, specifically the tension that the two experienced.

While Exotic said he felt as though the whole series told a clearer picture, he added, "The crazier we got on the show, and the more outlandish we got, the more viewers we got. We tried real calm animal shows and we didn't get that many viewers." This, he said, made them pivot the tone of their work.

Part one can be seen below.

After a short break, Exotic then called back and continued his conversation with "Dateline." At that time, he also opened up about why he initially attempted to enter politics. After revealing his frustration about politicians being unresponsive to everyday people, he asked, "How do me and you ever get heard in this country without having to do something stupid, like blow something up, or whatever?"

After hearing that, Mankiewicz then asked if his goal had ultimately been to provide a better type of customer service upon election, to which he answered, "Yes."

Part two of Exotic's interview can be seen in the clip below.

"Dateline" airs weekends on NBC.