Netflix’s “Tiger King” star Carole Baskin has been served a defamation lawsuit from the family of her missing husband.
Don Lewis’ daughters Gale, Lynda and Donna, plus his former assistant Anne McQueen claimed Baskin participated in jokes about Lewis’ death during her appearance on “Dancing With The Stars,” according to court documents obtained and published Wednesday by TMZ.
We have amended that lawsuit and provided over 40 pages of support of the need for discovery, mostly in Carole Baskin’s own words.
Additionally, we have filed a lawsuit for defamation and various breaches against Carole Baskin, Howard Baskin and Big Cat Rescue. Since 1997,
— John M. Phillips (@JohnPhillips) September 22, 2020
The “Dancing With The Stars” judges referred to viral TikTok videos about Baskin’s storyline from the infamous Netflix show.
“Carole Baskin killed her husband, whacked him,” the lyrics to the popular video said. “Can’t convince me that it didn’t happen. Fed him to tigers, they snackin’. What’s happening?” (RELATED: The Family Of Carole Baskin’s Missing Ex-Husband Airs Commercial During ‘DWTS’ Appearance)
Lewis’ family also accused Baskin of going along with the joke during an interview on “Good Morning America” where she said she claimed she was ready to “really kill it next week,” TMZ reported.
Baskin reportedly claimed “it’s a stretch” to accuse her of referring to Lewis when she uses the phrase “killing it.”
John Phillips, the family attorney, claimed Anne and Baskin settled a libel lawsuit back in 1998 and alleged that Baskin is now repeating some of the false claims.
As previously reported, Lewis was declared legally dead in 2002 after he went missing the day before a planned trip to Costa Rica, according to Fox News. Lewis’ story was showcased in the documentary series “Tiger King.” Joe Exotic, the main subject of the show, spent part of the series accusing Baskin of killing her ex-husband.