Here’s what Beaufort’s Tiger King ‘hitman’ has to say about the show’s 2nd season
Ever aspired to eat burgers with the “hitman” of Netflix’s Tiger King series? You’ll have the opportunity Wednesday night.
Allen Glover, a Beaufort native, is hosting a watch party for the premiere of Tiger King 2 at The Fillin’ Station in Beaufort.
Like everybody else, he’ll be seeing the follow-up to the viral 2020 documentary series for the first time.
“We’re just hoping Netflix doesn’t make people look foolish,” he said. “They changed things up like you wouldn’t believe (in the first season). I guess that’s how they make a show.”
Glover will be at The Fillin’ Station from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. There will also be live music and $5 burgers.
A ‘Tiger King’ recap
“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” wove a careening tale of cults of personality, legal troubles and an escalating rivalry between Oklahoma zoo owner Joe Exotic — real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage — and Florida Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin, who accused Maldonado-Passage of animal abuse.
The series climaxed as fellow big cat owner Jeff Lowe collaborated with federal agents to goad Maldonado-Passage into paying $3,000 to Glover, then Lowe’s employee, to “assassinate” Baskin.
Glover took the money, but would eventually flee to South Carolina without carrying out the murder.
Now, Maldonado-Passage is in prison after being convicted on two counts of attempted murder-for-hire (prosecutors said he offered $10,000 to an undercover FBI agent to assassinate Baskin after Glover).
He was also found guilty in the deaths of five tigers, and for offering to sell and buy tiger cubs, which is illegal under the Endangered Species Act. Lowe took over Maldonado-Passage’s zoo in Oklahoma.
Lowe also has ties to Beaufort. The former owner of Beaufort Liquidation in northern Beaufort County ran afoul of county officials in 2015 as the result of plans to exhibit tigers and lions he kept in enclosures on the property not far from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
‘Sincerely, The Hitman’
Baskin has opted out of the new season, but Glover and Lowe are back in, with the former saying he plays “a big part” in the show.
They’re both featured in the trailer, with Glover saying “Jeff and (Indiana zoo owner) Tim Stark are two peas in a pod when it comes to bats — crazy.”
“When you’re around as many tigers and animals as we were, you’ve got to be a little nutty, ballsy, whatever you want to call it,” he said Friday. “But we loved the animals and whatnot, so it’s something that made us feel good inside.”
He added that he learned to “truly love” animals working at zoos, and said “it’s sad that DOJ and PETA and everybody else has come and wiped that away from us.”
Glover doesn’t shy away from the “hitman” title — when he reached out to The Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet to cover Wednesday’s viewing party, he signed off with “Sincerely, The Hitman.” He testified at Maldonado-Passage’s trial, but has since rescinded his testimony and admitted to perjury.
He’s been living with his father in Beaufort; in August, he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Beaufort County.
The DUI case is still pending, according to court records. Glover didn’t comment on it Friday, but said that he hopes officials show lenience in another case: That of Bryan Rearick, who was extradited to Beaufort County in August for an outstanding 2015 charge of attempted murder on Glover. He’s accused of stabbing Glover below his left arm on Jan. 20, 2015, during a dispute over money.
“If I have anything I can do for him, they can let him go,” he said. “That’s how I feel about it. We both made two dumb wrongs in one second. I don’t hold no grudge whatsoever against any human being, unless you harm my f— children.”
Now, he’s working on a book with a writer that he declined to name that he hopes will clear up misconceptions about him. It could also make him some money, as he said he wasn’t paid to participate in the documentary: “People think I’m rich. I ain’t rich, I’m broker than hell.”