Joe Exotic is to ask President Trump to be pardoned

'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic's legal team is reportedly requesting the reality star - who is currently in the midst of a 22 year prison sentence for a number of charges including murder-for-hire and animal abuse - be pardoned for his crimes.

Joe's team have had the slogan "President Trump, please pardon Joe Exotic" put on a bus in a bid to spread their message further, TMZ reports.

Meanwhile, Joe previously insisted he is "done with the Carole Baskin saga" and doesn't have any interest in reigniting his feud with the animal rights activist and just wants to get his life back.

Speaking from jail, he said: "I'm done with the Carole Baskin saga. It's now time to turn the tables and Joe get out of jail a free man and exonerated from all of these charges."

The zookeeper - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - has shot to worldwide prominence thanks to his starring role in the much-discussed Netflix series. However, Joe doesn't think stardom will dramatically change his character.

He added: "When I walk out of here, am I gonna be as crazy as I was before? That will never change ... You know, it would be nice if I could actually see me being famous there - but I've seen these same four walls for a year-and-a-half now."

The controversial tiger keeper - who once claimed to be the most prolific breeder of tigers in the United States - also expressed regret over his own mistreatment of animals.

He said: "Go sit in a cage with your animals for a week ... I mean when I left the zoo and I sent my chimpanzees to the sanctuary in Florida and imagined what my chimpanzees went through for 18 years ... I'm ashamed of myself."

This article was first published on BANG Showbiz and is republished here with permission.